Sentencing Transcripts

In a recent case, the wisdom of ordering sentencing transcripts of co-defendants was reaffirmed. A defendant appeared for sentencing with the benefit of having read his co-defendant’s sentencing minutes. The court had noted that while the co-defendant had apologized to his own family, he never apologized to the victims or the families of those affected by the victims’ crack use. So, having read his co-defendant’s sentencing transcript, before the defendant was sentenced he made sure to apologize to the victims and their families. The judge could not help but be impressed, which may have contributed to the defendant’s substantially reduced sentence from 57 to 12 months.

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