Charlie Sheen to face judge in domestic violence case Monday
Charlie Sheen returns to the Aspen, Colorado, courthouse Monday afternoon, when the actor may enter a plea to settle domestic violence charges against him.
Charlie Sheen pleaded guilty Monday to assaulting his wife during a Christmas Day argument in exchange for a plea deal with no jail time and more serious charges dropped.
Are our courts making a mockery of domestic violence? Actor Charlie Sheen, star of "Two and a Half Men", will not be going to jail after an assault on his wife Christmas day 2009.
According to the Associated Press, Sheen was given a sentence on Monday August 2, 2010 by a Colorado judge. The star received no jail time for assaulting his wife. Sheen was allowed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor third-degree assault on his wife.
Sheen was sentenced to just 30 days of probation, 30 days in a rehabilitation center and 36 hours of anger management counseling. Sadly, Sheen may not have to serve the 30 days in rehab, having already spent 93 days this year in a treatment center.
If the 93 days of rehab did not make a difference in his behavior it stands to reason that he needs more treatment. If the judge enables Sheen to avoid getting treatment he is likely to keep repeating his violent behavior towards women until some judge that is not star stuck will force Sheen to get the help he needs.
After receiving his sentence Charlie Sheen left the court house throwing kisses to his fans and smiling broadly after getting a slap on the wrist for the physical assault on his wife. The message that our young people get from this lenient ruling is that it is OK to abuse another because there are not serious consequences.
The abuser gets the message that they will not be punished very harshly if they abuse their spouse or others. The one who is abused gets the message that it's not worth reporting the crime because not much of a punishment will be given to the abuser.
What is your opinion? What can we do as a society to help top domestic violence?