Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> Sentencing Law and Policy

Criminal Law

: Sentencing Law and Policy

Will an extreme sentence deter extreme spitting?

By Douglas A. Berman

How Appealing noted this notable article from the Dallas Morning News, headlined "35-year sentence for HIV-positive spitter worries some." Here is how it starts: Prosecutors convinced a Dallas County jury this week that HIV-positive saliva should be considered a deadly weapon.  But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and countless doctors say no one has ever contracted the virus from spit.  And that's why several AIDS advocacy groups and many individuals contend that the 35-year sentence Willie Campbell received Wednesday for spitting into the mouth and eye of a Dallas police officer was excessive. Mr. Campbell was convicted of harassment of a public servant. Because of the jury's deadly weapon finding, he will have to serve half of his sentence before he's eligible for parole...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on May 18, 2008 (boomark / email).