Justice?

Lately, you've heard about poop and shipping unused-but-in-perfectly-good-condition medical supplies so you've got the warm fuzzies right about now, right? Prepare yourself for a little downer...

The drunk driver who killed my aunt last year just 2 weeks after her 58th birthday was supposed to go to trial this week. Since then, the prosecutor, victim's advocate and my 3 cousins agreed to accept a plea bargain involving 10 years in prison and charges of DUI blah-dee blah but nothing about involuntary manslaughter. The judge has approved this so I guess this man, Travis Day is his name, is headed back to prison to serve out his 10 years.

No one asked me for my opinion, and it's irrelevant really, but it feels like justice has not been properly served here. I don't know all the reasons for accepting this proposal and I am not close with my cousins (regrettably) so I'm not in regular contact enough to find out what they're thinking but I'm thinking that this is not right. This man, by his own reckless actions, killed an innocent woman and he gets 10 years in jail and that's it? How is that okay?

Right now I could care less about overcrowded jails and long court proceedings and what would have happened if the jury let him off anyway--I care about justice and I just not feeling any right now. It's not like this reckless, drunk, repeat offender is someone who slid through an icy intersection and just, by accident, killed someone. No, he got drunk, drove on a suspended license and then rear-ended my aunt pushing her car into the way of oncoming traffic. The volunteer fire personnel on the scene told my mom that they were sure she died instantly. Small comfort, tho, for my mom, my grandmother, my other aunt and uncle, my cousins, their children and my aunt's significant other. Did I mention that her dog that was with her in the car was also killed?

Accidents happen, I get it. But while I'm sure he didn't wake up on December 27, 2007 intending to kill someone, he nevertheless got drunk and got behind the wheel. He caused an accident that could have been avoided. 10 years doesn't seem like a long enough time to pay for his crime. Is this guy sitting in jail feeling remorse for what he did? Does he even care that he killed someone?