Recent petition
Discussion
This petition recently appeared on change.org (edited for bad spelling and grammar, and separated into paragraphs for easier reading):
"Justice for Cameron Herrin, 21 years old, who was jailed for 24 years.
Cameron Herrin, 21, was in his Ford Mustang on May 23, 2018, racing a friend, John Barrineau.
Jessica Reisinger-Raubenolt, 24, and her daughter, 1-year-old Lillia, were crossing a Tampa Street intersection as the cars approached it. Barrineau swerved out of the way, but Herrin struck Jessica and Lillia, resulting in both of their deaths.
Barrineau received a six-year prison sentence for his role but Herrin was sentenced to 24 years. I think this is too much; he didn’t do it deliberately, it was just an accident. I want you all lovely people who think it’s wrong to jailed a young man for 24 years, which is worst than a death, to please sign and share this petition as much as you can, so that we can help to get Cameron out.
He is very young and has his entire life ahead of him. I humbly request all of you to please support my petition. We live only once. With your help we can get him another chance in court. All on social media are talking about giving him this second chance. We should all help him. The victim’s family won’t get them back, but definitely this young boy has lost everything."
I haven't signed it.
However If someone were to start a petition to let him rot for the entire 24 years, I would sign that without hesitation.
"Justice for Cameron Herrin, 21 years old, who was jailed for 24 years.
Cameron Herrin, 21, was in his Ford Mustang on May 23, 2018, racing a friend, John Barrineau.
Jessica Reisinger-Raubenolt, 24, and her daughter, 1-year-old Lillia, were crossing a Tampa Street intersection as the cars approached it. Barrineau swerved out of the way, but Herrin struck Jessica and Lillia, resulting in both of their deaths.
Barrineau received a six-year prison sentence for his role but Herrin was sentenced to 24 years. I think this is too much; he didn’t do it deliberately, it was just an accident. I want you all lovely people who think it’s wrong to jailed a young man for 24 years, which is worst than a death, to please sign and share this petition as much as you can, so that we can help to get Cameron out.
He is very young and has his entire life ahead of him. I humbly request all of you to please support my petition. We live only once. With your help we can get him another chance in court. All on social media are talking about giving him this second chance. We should all help him. The victim’s family won’t get them back, but definitely this young boy has lost everything."
I haven't signed it.
However If someone were to start a petition to let him rot for the entire 24 years, I would sign that without hesitation.
I’ve been closely following that story in the US for quite some time.
I’m pretty hard in my views on crime and penalties and I think this puts U.K. and US sentencing in perspective.
The kid isn’t some habitual criminal, the lady and baby are the victims of stupidity - the sort of stupidly that is very likely to take place if you give an 18 year old a Mustang as a high school graduation present! I did think of creating a post on here about it. How many PHers can look at this and say they could possibly have caused similar if they’d had a Mustang at that age? I’m honest and can say that there but for the grace of god go I - and I only had a 957cc 45bhp Fiesta. Kids do stupid stuff - and in this case it couldn’t possibly have been worse. That poor woman and baby lost forever, it’s horrific.
But aside from the “rot in hell” revenge aspect just what is that sentence meant to achieve. Regardless of what you want it to be that isn’t what jail is about. Unfortunately the US prison system isn’t about rehabilitation- it’s just savage. I fail to see what 24 years does - it’s massively harsh on what was, when you take away the emotive aspects, an unintended consequence of being extremely stupid. Is this kid a likely reoffender? Was there intent?
This whole thing is just awful - there’s not a single positive aspect to any of it, beyond that it might make some kids think twice. A total mess.
No doubt there’ll be a load of posters who will state stuff like “what if that was your <insert lived one here>?”. Prison is about - or should be - punishment, rehabilitation and protection of society. It’s not about revenge.
I’m pretty hard in my views on crime and penalties and I think this puts U.K. and US sentencing in perspective.
The kid isn’t some habitual criminal, the lady and baby are the victims of stupidity - the sort of stupidly that is very likely to take place if you give an 18 year old a Mustang as a high school graduation present! I did think of creating a post on here about it. How many PHers can look at this and say they could possibly have caused similar if they’d had a Mustang at that age? I’m honest and can say that there but for the grace of god go I - and I only had a 957cc 45bhp Fiesta. Kids do stupid stuff - and in this case it couldn’t possibly have been worse. That poor woman and baby lost forever, it’s horrific.
But aside from the “rot in hell” revenge aspect just what is that sentence meant to achieve. Regardless of what you want it to be that isn’t what jail is about. Unfortunately the US prison system isn’t about rehabilitation- it’s just savage. I fail to see what 24 years does - it’s massively harsh on what was, when you take away the emotive aspects, an unintended consequence of being extremely stupid. Is this kid a likely reoffender? Was there intent?
This whole thing is just awful - there’s not a single positive aspect to any of it, beyond that it might make some kids think twice. A total mess.
No doubt there’ll be a load of posters who will state stuff like “what if that was your <insert lived one here>?”. Prison is about - or should be - punishment, rehabilitation and protection of society. It’s not about revenge.
I am with you Dogstar.
I hate to think what I would have done with a Mustang at 18; I was lucky enough to harm noone with 65bhp. And that is in the UK; in the USA there seems to be a tradition of street drag racing which must make certain behaviours seem more normal than they would in the UK either now or in the 70s when I was a new driver..
And to answer the end question- if this lad had killed my daughter my first reaction might be to want to kill him, but I am reasonably sure that once I had calmed down i would not want to see his life destroyed as well. Prison- yes. 24 years, no.
After 24 years what then? Institutionalised and of no value to society, he is likely to spend all or most of the rest of his life at the expense of the state. Assuming of course he doesn't learn any criminal trades in prison.
I hate to think what I would have done with a Mustang at 18; I was lucky enough to harm noone with 65bhp. And that is in the UK; in the USA there seems to be a tradition of street drag racing which must make certain behaviours seem more normal than they would in the UK either now or in the 70s when I was a new driver..
And to answer the end question- if this lad had killed my daughter my first reaction might be to want to kill him, but I am reasonably sure that once I had calmed down i would not want to see his life destroyed as well. Prison- yes. 24 years, no.
After 24 years what then? Institutionalised and of no value to society, he is likely to spend all or most of the rest of his life at the expense of the state. Assuming of course he doesn't learn any criminal trades in prison.
mac96 said:
I am with you Dogstar.
I hate to think what I would have done with a Mustang at 18; I was lucky enough to harm noone with 65bhp. And that is in the UK; in the USA there seems to be a tradition of street drag racing which must make certain behaviours seem more normal than they would in the UK either now or in the 70s when I was a new driver..
And to answer the end question- if this lad had killed my daughter my first reaction might be to want to kill him, but I am reasonably sure that once I had calmed down i would not want to see his life destroyed as well. Prison- yes. 24 years, no.
After 24 years what then? Institutionalised and of no value to society, he is likely to spend all or most of the rest of his life at the expense of the state. Assuming of course he doesn't learn any criminal trades in prison.
I don't think the US supports its citizens like the UK (or any other civilised nation) does but agree it seems incredibly harsh and has in fact completely written off his life but it sounds like that's what the US justice system is trying to do, a life for a life giving little or no consideration into the nature of the incident (not malicious just stupidity at a young age).I hate to think what I would have done with a Mustang at 18; I was lucky enough to harm noone with 65bhp. And that is in the UK; in the USA there seems to be a tradition of street drag racing which must make certain behaviours seem more normal than they would in the UK either now or in the 70s when I was a new driver..
And to answer the end question- if this lad had killed my daughter my first reaction might be to want to kill him, but I am reasonably sure that once I had calmed down i would not want to see his life destroyed as well. Prison- yes. 24 years, no.
After 24 years what then? Institutionalised and of no value to society, he is likely to spend all or most of the rest of his life at the expense of the state. Assuming of course he doesn't learn any criminal trades in prison.
QuattroDave said:
mac96 said:
I am with you Dogstar.
I hate to think what I would have done with a Mustang at 18; I was lucky enough to harm noone with 65bhp. And that is in the UK; in the USA there seems to be a tradition of street drag racing which must make certain behaviours seem more normal than they would in the UK either now or in the 70s when I was a new driver..
And to answer the end question- if this lad had killed my daughter my first reaction might be to want to kill him, but I am reasonably sure that once I had calmed down i would not want to see his life destroyed as well. Prison- yes. 24 years, no.
After 24 years what then? Institutionalised and of no value to society, he is likely to spend all or most of the rest of his life at the expense of the state. Assuming of course he doesn't learn any criminal trades in prison.
I don't think the US supports its citizens like the UK (or any other civilised nation) does but agree it seems incredibly harsh and has in fact completely written off his life but it sounds like that's what the US justice system is trying to do, a life for a life giving little or no consideration into the nature of the incident (not malicious just stupidity at a young age).I hate to think what I would have done with a Mustang at 18; I was lucky enough to harm noone with 65bhp. And that is in the UK; in the USA there seems to be a tradition of street drag racing which must make certain behaviours seem more normal than they would in the UK either now or in the 70s when I was a new driver..
And to answer the end question- if this lad had killed my daughter my first reaction might be to want to kill him, but I am reasonably sure that once I had calmed down i would not want to see his life destroyed as well. Prison- yes. 24 years, no.
After 24 years what then? Institutionalised and of no value to society, he is likely to spend all or most of the rest of his life at the expense of the state. Assuming of course he doesn't learn any criminal trades in prison.
From what I’ve seen if this kid and his background - I would have thought that more benefit would be gained from his lessons directly to others - by going into schools etc and telling what he had done and the consequences.
The more I see of the US and the “system” there the more I’m questioning what is going on in terms of social care, health care, prisons and so on. It’s brutal if you fall through the cracks or do something wrong.
The more I see of the US and the “system” there the more I’m questioning what is going on in terms of social care, health care, prisons and so on. It’s brutal if you fall through the cracks or do something wrong.
Dog Star said:
No doubt there’ll be a load of posters who will state stuff like “what if that was your <insert lived one here>?”. Prison is about - or should be - punishment, rehabilitation and protection of society. It’s not about revenge.
There is a deterrent effect in sentencing too. On the basis that presumably this story is big enough to have been posted here in the first place, there is probably a significant public interest in a severe punishment for deterrent purposes. This is not unusual or arguably unfair.Dog Star said:
The kid isn’t some habitual criminal...
First I've heard of this case, but a quick read suggests otherwise - he was racing at 100 mph in a 40 mph zone when the incident occurred and evidence was presented of him doing 162 mph on a highway (so, 70 mph limit) a few days prior.Society is probably a little bit safer with him outside of it for a while.
How in the holy f
k can anyone seriously be defending this driver?
Would you be as keen to see a junkie go free, because he was just after his next fix and they happened to be there when he mugged and killed them?
Unbelievable how people rant and rave about soft sentencing for minor crimes then when there’s a proper decent sentence handed out you all go wishy washy because it involved driving so should be completely let off.
Then there’s those blaming the state for letting him have the car in the first place. Bet you’re the first to decry the Nanny State but somehow want to blame it here instead of people taking responsibility for their own actions.
As for the one who says he’d forgive the driver if he killed his wife and kids. bks. Utter bks.
k can anyone seriously be defending this driver? Would you be as keen to see a junkie go free, because he was just after his next fix and they happened to be there when he mugged and killed them?
Unbelievable how people rant and rave about soft sentencing for minor crimes then when there’s a proper decent sentence handed out you all go wishy washy because it involved driving so should be completely let off.
Then there’s those blaming the state for letting him have the car in the first place. Bet you’re the first to decry the Nanny State but somehow want to blame it here instead of people taking responsibility for their own actions.
As for the one who says he’d forgive the driver if he killed his wife and kids. b
ks. Utter bks. JxJ Jr. said:
Dog Star said:
The kid isn’t some habitual criminal...
First I've heard of this case, but a quick read suggests otherwise - he was racing at 100 mph in a 40 mph zone when the incident occurred and evidence was presented of him doing 162 mph on a highway (so, 70 mph limit) a few days prior.Society is probably a little bit safer with him outside of it for a while.
There but for the grace of God.
Note my mates became police men, joined the military, because Engineers and accountants and pretend to be civilised.
Pit Pony said:
The thing is, when I read that, I think back to my younger days, and breathe a sigh of relief. Me and my mates, all now fully functioning adults with adult kids, had legal access to some nice cars. Sometimes these were used in a way that was stupid and reckless.
There but for the grace of God.
Note my mates became police men, joined the military, because Engineers and accountants and pretend to be civilised.
You got away with it as did many of us doing daft stuff. However, how many of us really raced on urban streets against other cars at 100+ There but for the grace of God.
Note my mates became police men, joined the military, because Engineers and accountants and pretend to be civilised.
Psycho Warren said:
Harsh sentence but if out in 12 not so bad. Hes probably going to be someones bh in prison which will probably be the worst aspect of it.
Probably have got 18 months here.
Probably not even that. There is a twitter thread that I re-read from time-to-time:h in prison which will probably be the worst aspect of it.Probably have got 18 months here.
https://twitter.com/ormondroyd/status/910244326567...
It has its roots in the media row around Charlie Alliston, but that notwithstanding serves very well to show how cheaply we regard death and serious injury on the roads. By and large you're likely to get away with less than a year behind bars.
unident said:
Pit Pony said:
The thing is, when I read that, I think back to my younger days, and breathe a sigh of relief. Me and my mates, all now fully functioning adults with adult kids, had legal access to some nice cars. Sometimes these were used in a way that was stupid and reckless.
There but for the grace of God.
Note my mates became police men, joined the military, because Engineers and accountants and pretend to be civilised.
You got away with it as did many of us doing daft stuff. However, how many of us really raced on urban streets against other cars at 100+ There but for the grace of God.
Note my mates became police men, joined the military, because Engineers and accountants and pretend to be civilised.
Dog Star said:
unident said:
Pit Pony said:
The thing is, when I read that, I think back to my younger days, and breathe a sigh of relief. Me and my mates, all now fully functioning adults with adult kids, had legal access to some nice cars. Sometimes these were used in a way that was stupid and reckless.
There but for the grace of God.
Note my mates became police men, joined the military, because Engineers and accountants and pretend to be civilised.
You got away with it as did many of us doing daft stuff. However, how many of us really raced on urban streets against other cars at 100+ There but for the grace of God.
Note my mates became police men, joined the military, because Engineers and accountants and pretend to be civilised.
2. What we got away with doesn’t matter. Whether we would do it doesn’t matter. The fact is that a driver killed a baby and mother with his actions. When he was gifted the car he had choices to make about how to act with it. He chose to act like a bellend and deserves punishment for it.
The fact that some are saying “the mother and baby are dead, so they can’t be brought back, but let’s not punish him too much, as he’s only young” is ridiculous. Let’s let off the guy who got given a gun by his parents and chose to shoot a load of kids at school. It’s obviously the gun that’s the problem not the kid. Let’s let the terrorist off, as he was just misunderstood. He didn’t mean to blow all those kids up at that concert.
unident said:
How in the holy fk can anyone seriously be defending this driver?
Would you be as keen to see a junkie go free, because he was just after his next fix and they happened to be there when he mugged and killed them?
Unbelievable how people rant and rave about soft sentencing for minor crimes then when there’s a proper decent sentence handed out you all go wishy washy because it involved driving so should be completely let off.
Then there’s those blaming the state for letting him have the car in the first place. Bet you’re the first to decry the Nanny State but somehow want to blame it here instead of people taking responsibility for their own actions.
As for the one who says he’d forgive the driver if he killed his wife and kids. bks. Utter bks.
I don't think anyone is saying he should be let off, just reflecting on the sentence. No surprise that views on this vary a lot. k can anyone seriously be defending this driver? Would you be as keen to see a junkie go free, because he was just after his next fix and they happened to be there when he mugged and killed them?
Unbelievable how people rant and rave about soft sentencing for minor crimes then when there’s a proper decent sentence handed out you all go wishy washy because it involved driving so should be completely let off.
Then there’s those blaming the state for letting him have the car in the first place. Bet you’re the first to decry the Nanny State but somehow want to blame it here instead of people taking responsibility for their own actions.
As for the one who says he’d forgive the driver if he killed his wife and kids. b
ks. Utter bks. And if your last remark relates to my comment about how I would feel if my daughter had been the victim, then as you don't know me, you cannot really say! I don't know if I could forgive, I only suggested that I wouldn't want to see his life destroyed as well in 'revenge'.
As a matter of fact, forgiveness also has the purely selfish advantage that it allows you to live your life as well, not ruined by a sense of injustice or a desire for vengeance. So yes, I hope I could forgive as well.
mac96 said:
I don't think anyone is saying he should be let off, just reflecting on the sentence. No surprise that views on this vary a lot.
And if your last remark relates to my comment about how I would feel if my daughter had been the victim, then as you don't know me, you cannot really say! I don't know if I could forgive, I only suggested that I wouldn't want to see his life destroyed as well in 'revenge'.
As a matter of fact, forgiveness also has the purely selfish advantage that it allows you to live your life as well, not ruined by a sense of injustice or a desire for vengeance. So yes, I hope I could forgive as well.
If anyone killed a young mother and her baby there would be outrage, whether it was intentional or not. There seems to be a position on here where anything done in a car absolves the culprit of all blame. It’s obvious why given this is a motoring forum, but it doesn’t make sense looking at it objectively. Nobody would feel the sentence was too harsh for a terrorist, a school shooter, a junkie, a traveller type, a psycho who had just been released from hospital and so on. And if your last remark relates to my comment about how I would feel if my daughter had been the victim, then as you don't know me, you cannot really say! I don't know if I could forgive, I only suggested that I wouldn't want to see his life destroyed as well in 'revenge'.
As a matter of fact, forgiveness also has the purely selfish advantage that it allows you to live your life as well, not ruined by a sense of injustice or a desire for vengeance. So yes, I hope I could forgive as well.
Quite often we see threads defending someone who was caught driving dangerously, or at stupid speeds and got a custodial sentence and the mitigation is always “he didn’t crash”, or “he didn’t hurt anyone”. Well this guy did, he killed a 24 year old and a 1 year old. Yet somehow we should be more concerned about ruining his life.
b
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