Talk:Allocution

From BoyWiki

An incarcerated boylover writes:

I too did not give the allocution speech I wanted to give before sentencing. . . . I do remember I said 'This case and trial have been more about rights than anything else.' Still very watered down from what I wanted to say. The watering down was due to the insistence of my lawyer and the beating down over the two years I was involved in court proceedings.

Nowadays, because of the insistence of people's lawyers, the allocution part of sentencing is used for the defendant to tell the court how sorry and wrong he/she was so they could get their two [sentencing guidelines] levels for acceptance of responsibility. This acceptance is also pushed while a person is in prison and is also a part of the report that goes to one's probation officer when they leave prison. Thus the whole court and prison system is set up so people do not question the authority of the government. It is part of plea deals. One admits they are guilty and accepts their responsibility and the government punishes a person with less time.

I think about 95-97% of people sign plea deals out of fear of getting more time, so why not say one is sorry for what they signed for so they could get more time off (two levels). One thing I realized was with 97% or more of the people saying they were sorry, the one voice that said 'this was all wrong' is not going to be heard and will look a little like a nutcase. Also, I was not feeling any support for my views being cut off from everyone for the most part.

I did not sign a plea agreement. If I had, I would have gone home three years ago. Although I try to hold my head up and say I stuck up for my rights by going to trial, I did not make a difference. No one applauded my efforts or even heard it. No one supported me in my efforts. Right now I could have been out of prison and living in another country working towards a freer life but I am still in prison. Because why? I fell in that 2 to 3% who stands up for their rights and gets punished for it.

Nelson Mandela was probably punished also for his stance but again he might have not had anything to lose. He also had support. There were people who supported his ideas nationally and internationally. Until more people stand up and say what the government is doing is wrong, nothing will change. And the government knows what it is doing. It knows how to keep the public deaf to things like defiant allocution statements that talk about unfairness. . . .

The problem with allocution statements is bigger than the statements themselves but is a part of how the whole legal system is geared not in protecting rights but advancing governmental agendas. The government wants the things they deem illegal to be seen as wrong and immoral and with the help of defense lawyers encouraging less time, people are making apologies instead of standing up for their rights. Much like in countries like China and Vietnam.

Lysander (talk) 19:00, 3 April 2015 (UTC)