A California judge sentenced an ill doctor who pled guilty to eight counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person, three counts of sexual battery, and one count of possession of child pornography involving pictures of an 8-year-old girl to only one-year of home confinement
By Richard Krupp, PhD
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
October 1, 2015
For several years, the people of California have been spending billions of taxpayer dollars to provide premium health care to criminals who make it into prison.
In addition to in-prison health care, many inmates receive treatment in community hospitals through various contract arrangements.
However, even top notch health care is not good enough for some inmates, according to Judge Laura Halgren’s acceptance of a perverted plea deal in San Diego County, California. Welcome to California justice.
Evidently at least one sex offender will be staying home instead of spending 25 years in prison because prison health care is not up to the judge’s standards.
Here are some highlights from a recent Los Angeles Times article:
El Cajon doctor given house arrest for assaulting female patients
A 68-year-old doctor was sentenced Friday to a year of house arrest after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a dozen female patients during examinations.
San Diego County Superior Court Judge Laura Halgren sentenced Jeffrey Joel Abrams to 25 years in prison but stayed the sentence and instead imposed the house arrest because of Abrams’ medical condition. Abrams requires continuous care due to complications following surgery to remove a cancerous kidney, according to a probation report. He could not receive appropriate care in prison, the report said.
Abrams pleaded guilty to inappropriately touching and photographing female patients at the Volunteers in Medicine clinic in El Cajon. The clinic provides care for low-income patients.
Along with the house arrest, Abrams will serve five years’ probation, register as a sex offender, serve 200 hours of community service and surrender his medical license. Deputy Dist. Atty. Kerry Conway said Abrams’ victims were satisfied with the plea bargain, deciding it was preferable to having to go to trial.
“This plea agreement ensures they won’t have to relive the crime in court and keeps the defendant away from any potential future victims,” Conway said. Abrams pleaded guilty to eight counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person, three counts of sexual battery, and one count of possession of child pornography involving pictures of an 8-year-old girl. (for full story read http://tinyurl.com/p2tab7l.)
Evidently the elderly pervert doctor will be able to get continuous care in the comfort of his own home. Prison medical care must not be appropriate for sex offenders recovering from surgery.
Does that mean all inmates should be sent home following kidney surgery? I wonder if the judge discussed the prison medical care shortcomings with the federal receiver?
Is the court supposed to be more interested in the welfare of the criminal offender than his victims? Was this the best offer the San Diego District Attorney’s Office could demand in plea bargaining with a serial molester, who used his position as a doctor to abuse poor women? Was this bargain really done in the public interest, in the best interests of the victims—or was it in Mr. Abrams best interest to simply avoid prison as a convicted molester?
I’m sure Judge Halgren has all of the answers.
If Abrams’ residence is a good place for continuous care might there be room for a few more inmates? Maybe Abrams can provide medical care for some additional prison inmates himself. He was helping low-income patients in San Diego County, while he was pleasuring himself.
I don’t know Judge Halgren, but at this point I am not impressed with her judgment let alone the wisdom of the San Diego DA’s Office.
If this pervert had one kidney removed doesn’t he still have one intact? What kind of medical care can he get at home that he can’t get in a prison hospital? How does keeping him at home keep him away from any future victims? Just because he won’t be playing as a doctor, doesn’t mean he won’t prey on poor women.
Perhaps Judge Halgren is not as wise as the calling of her office demands.
Doctor Abrams on the other hand may be thinking that it could have/should have been worse than he will ever know.
No comments:
Post a Comment