Mother Jones
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In the wake of an Alabama judge’s decision to give Austin Smith Clem probation for three felony rape convictions, a network of rape crisis centers in Alabama is pushing to change state law so judges are prevented from handing down such lenient punishments in the future.
In an email to Mother Jones, Janet S. Gabel, the executive director of Crisis Services of North Alabama, says that her organization is “appalled by the judge’s decision to not send Mr. Clem to prison.”
“We are concerned about the message this sends to rapists and victims in Limestone County,” she notes. “I will be asking the Alabama Coalition Against Sexual Violence and the District Attorney’s Association to join us in changing the wording of the state statute so that in the future, a convicted rapist will not be sentenced to community corrections but instead will receive an appropriate sentence for such a heinous crime.”
See original article:
After Judge Gives Rapist Probation, Alabama Rape Crisis Center Pushes to Change Law
