> I sincerely hope that he gets the punishment he deserves which should be a firm slap on the wrist.
A felony, even without any jail time, is an irreversible and life changing punishment. He will no longer be able to vote or (possibly?) leave the country, or work at various organizations and corporations that automatically do not hire felons.
Edit: didn't know that felons could still get passports. They can have trouble getting visa's for sure though.
This is one of the biggest misconceptions about voting out there. The suspension of your voting rights is dependent on the state in which your felony is committed. There are only 12 states where it can be suspended for life and even then it's usually dependent on the crime (i.e. in Nebraska only those convicted of treason will lose the right for life.) Voting rights are restored in all other states under different conditions.
> He will no longer be able to vote or leave the country,
Why leaving the country would be a problem? I haven't heard of that one before. Say what if wants to fly to Europe for vacation, he can't because he was convicted of a felony?
A felony, even without any jail time, is an irreversible and life changing punishment. He will no longer be able to vote or (possibly?) leave the country, or work at various organizations and corporations that automatically do not hire felons.
Edit: didn't know that felons could still get passports. They can have trouble getting visa's for sure though.