Letters: Good Times, Good Work
Jill Metz
GOOD TIMES, GOOD WORK
I had the privilege to work as an intern during law school with attorney Jill Metz at the People’s Law Office (“For Good,” September). She helped form my legal volunteer values, which I maintained throughout my legal career and now into retirement.
Giving back is the most important thing we do as attorneys.
Cheryl Cesario
Evanston, Illinois
MORE ON A CHILD-PORN DEFENDANT
My son, Nick, was mentioned in “Minors Sentence,” August, about courts giving reduced sentences to child-porn defendants, and I feel some clarification is necessary. The author of this article was not privy to the reasons why the U.S. attorneys believed this was an exceptional case.
During the pretrial phase, Nick was evaluated by five highly qualified experts, two of whom were selected by the prosecution. Based on extensive testing and in-depth interviews, all five felt that pretrial diversion was an appropriate disposition. One of these experts was an FBI neuropsychologist and headed the FBI Victim Assistance Program in Washington, D.C., for those who have been victimized by child pornography.
Fortunately, Nick was not sent to prison, and I will be forever grateful for that fact. However, Nick is now a lifelong felon and a registered sex offender, both of which are very debilitating for someone who has autism. I believe we should wake up to the fact that vulnerable, harmless individuals should not be saddled for the rest of their lives with a label that turns them into pariahs and deprives them of a second chance in life.
Larry Dubin
Detroit
