The story is that when a baby was was 19 days old, the parents took the baby to the hospital. Next morning, baby is gone. A woman kidnapped the baby and raised it as her own for the following 23 years. The kidnapped baby figured everything out as an adult when she needed to get a copy of her birth certificate and couldn't get one from her 'mom'. 'Mom' turned herself into the police at some point - is now facing 12 years in prison, 3 yrs probation, and a $100 special assessment fee (what is that??).
I kind of agree with the real mother that the kidnapper should be facing 23 years in prison. But at the same time, the belief is that she was apparently suffering from mental issues due to a recent stillborn birth that led to her kidnapping the baby?
I'm just torn - there's not enough prison space for everyone out there and this woman doesn't seem likely to repeat her crime. So I feel both that there's no point in prison for her (mental health treatment, yes, prison, no) and that 23 yrs in prison would be justice for the family.
This is a tough one. The real parents missed out on their daughter's entire childhood. The woman the young girl thought was her mother isn't. The fake mom is not likely to do it again, but the real parents want her punished. I don't blame them.
I feel the saddest for the baby. Her whole life and all her childhood memories are based on a lie. She must be feel so torn between the woman who raised her and the people who lost her.
I'm all for life in prison. As a parent, I can't imagine the horror of not knowing where my child was for 23 years and whether or not he/she was alive or dead. If we constantly use the excuse that it is too costly, eventually no one will go to prison and there will be no deterrent to crime.
I don't know what I think should be done, but I think there needs to be some kind of overhaul when we get to the point that money is a factor in sentencing. Are there really no ways we can make prisons more self sufficient or money producing? I know in Texas it used to be they would make the license plates. This is no longer the case, but is there nothing similar that can be done?
