原標(biāo)題:《絕望主婦》女演員被判入獄14天,,網(wǎng)友:法律為富有白人“開恩”?
10月25日,,《絕望主婦》的主演之一費莉西蒂·赫夫曼(Felicity Huffman)要去監(jiān)獄報到了,。
作為美國司法史上最大高校招生丑聞的涉案家長之一,赫夫曼被判入獄14天和1年的監(jiān)督釋放,。另外,,她須繳3萬美元罰款,并為社區(qū)服務(wù)250小時,。
《紐約時報》稱,,法官想通過監(jiān)禁的判決傳遞一個信息——即便是富人,在高校招生中作弊也無法逃脫責(zé)罰,。
果真如此嗎,?
“Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman was sentenced Friday to 14 days in prison for paying 15,000 U.S,。 dollars to rig her daughter‘s SAT scores,。 Huffman must report for her prison sentence in six weeks。 She must also pay a 30,,000-U.S,。-dollar fine and perform 250 hours of community service。
赫夫曼:想給女兒一個“公平”的機會
“我只是太想當(dāng)一個好媽媽了”,,判決前,,赫夫曼在給法官的信中寫道,解釋自己踏上舞弊之路的原因,。
“我絕望地想把一切做好,我太怕把一切搞砸?!?/p>
信中,,赫夫曼梳理了從接受升學(xué)咨詢到同意賄賂作弊的心路歷程,并表示女兒從小一直有 “學(xué)習(xí)障礙”(learning disabilities),,讓她始終恐慌女兒無法申請到理想的學(xué)校,。
“Sophia對表演一直充滿熱情。但是辛格(Singer)告訴我,,她的SAT分?jǐn)?shù)太低了,,如果還是不能大幅度提高,她將無法獲得任何一個理想學(xué)校的試鏡機會,?!?/p>
“我只是想給女兒一個機會,讓她施展自己的表演才能,。我不想她只是由于數(shù)學(xué)不行,,而斷送了自己熱愛的表演夢?!?/p>
“我告訴自己,,所有的這一切都是為了給我女兒一個公平的上大學(xué)的機會?!?/p>
她說,,雖然自己想讓女兒得到一個“公平的機會”,但諷刺的是,,她所做的一切都有違公平,。
“辛格告訴我,只要雇傭一位代理人,,讓其在女兒考試后一番操作,,‘我們可以保證她達到她需要的成績’?!?/p>
“現(xiàn)在聽起來可能很荒謬,,但是我那時真實地認(rèn)為,如果我不聽從辛格的建議,,我將會是一個壞媽媽,。”
美劇《絕望主婦》海報
今年5月份,,赫夫曼正式認(rèn)罪,,承認(rèn)以所謂慈善的名義支付給招生舞弊主謀威廉·辛格1萬5千美元,修改其女兒學(xué)術(shù)能力評估測試(SAT)的答案以提高考試成績,。
在收到判決后,,赫夫曼發(fā)出道歉聲明,,表示接受判決結(jié)果,并對受到傷害的學(xué)生和家長感到十分抱歉,。
In a letter asking for leniency this month,, Huffman said she turned to the scheme after her daughter‘s dream of going to college and pursuing a career in acting were jeopardized by her low math score。
“I honestly didn‘t and don’t care about my daughter going to a prestigious college,,” Huffman wrote,。 “I just wanted to give her a shot at being considered for a program where her acting talent would be the deciding factor?!?/p>
“I would like to apologize again to my daughter,, my husband, my family and the educational community for my actions,,” Huffman said in an emailed statement after the sentencing hearing,。 “And I especially want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices supporting their children,?!?/p>
網(wǎng)友:判得太短了!
聽說了赫夫曼的14天刑期,,網(wǎng)友表示:判得太短了,!
白人特權(quán)、富人特權(quán)成為社交媒體討論的焦點,,連參議員伯尼·桑德斯也站出來指責(zé)美國刑法制度“破敗,、種族歧視”。
網(wǎng)友在討論中,,反復(fù)將一個非裔美國母親的案件與赫夫曼案對比,。
2011年,時年33歲的無家可歸的母親坦尼婭·麥克道威爾(Tanya McDowell)為了“給兒子更好的教育”,,冒用他人的住址把兒子“非法”送到非自己所在區(qū)域的學(xué)校,,檢方認(rèn)為麥克道威爾從學(xué)校竊取了價值近1.6萬美元的教育資源。
這一案件在當(dāng)時引起廣泛討論,,很多人同情麥克道威爾的處境,,呼吁取消對當(dāng)事人的控訴。
但這個案子并不簡單,。
被發(fā)現(xiàn)竊取教育資源的麥克道威爾后來又被發(fā)現(xiàn)販毒,。
她接受了訴訟交易(plea bargain),最終被判12年刑期,,在監(jiān)獄服刑5年后,,再服5年緩刑,且同時服兩項罪名的刑罰,。
所以,,網(wǎng)友的指責(zé)還立得住腳嗎,?
事實上,檢方也提出了類似的案件,。2015年,,近十名涉嫌篡改學(xué)生考試分?jǐn)?shù)的亞特蘭大教師、校長和行政人員,,被分別判處入獄一年至七年,被告人都是非裔美國人,。
亞特蘭大案件中一位被告的律師鮑勃·魯賓(Bob Rubin)說,,“我不希望赫夫曼被判更長時間的刑期,但我希望我的客戶刑期更短,?!?/p>
“在這個國家,當(dāng)你有錢——尤其是有錢又是白人,,你面對的是不同的司法制度,,”俄亥俄司法和政策中心的執(zhí)行主管大衛(wèi)·辛格爾頓(David Singleton)說:“但判赫夫曼入獄不會解決這個問題?!?/p>
The scandal has exposed the lengths to which parents will go to get their children into the “right” school and reinforced suspicions that the college admissions process favors the rich,。
In sentencing Huffman, U.S,。 District Judge Indira Talwani said the outrage surrounding the case “isn‘t because people discovered that it isn’t a true meritocracy out there,,” but because Huffman took steps “to get one more advantage” in a system “already so distorted by money and privilege?!?/p>
Prosecutors had sought a month in prison for Huffman,, while her lawyers said she should get probation。
除了受到高度關(guān)注的赫夫曼,,此案還牽涉包括演員洛瑞·洛夫林在內(nèi)的50位明星和各行業(yè)精英,。
Lori Loughlin in a Full House poster/ Photo via Amazon.com
自3月份以來,共有33名家長,、17位教育機構(gòu)負責(zé)人,、大學(xué)體育教練和SAT/ACT考試官被提起刑事訴訟,總涉案金額高達2500萬美元,,耶魯大學(xué),、斯坦福大學(xué)、喬治城大學(xué)等八所美國名校都被卷入其中,。
“這些知名演員,、公司CEO、時裝設(shè)計師,、以及跨國律所的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人,,”作為家長,,濫用自己的財富和特權(quán),利用欺詐手段,,為子女買來了名校錄取書,,負責(zé)辦案的檢察官Andrew Leelling于3月份在新聞發(fā)布會上表示。
Screenshot via CNN
“每開一個這樣的后門,,就有一個真正誠實,、有天賦的學(xué)生與本該屬于自己的機會失之交臂?!?/p>
A total of 51 people have been charged in the scheme,, the biggest college admissions case ever prosecuted by the Justice Department。 Prosecutors said some parents manipulated test scores and bribed coaches to get their children into elite schools by having them labeled as recruited athletes for sports they didn‘t even play,。
Huffman paid 15,,000 U.S。 dollars to boost her older daughter‘s SAT scores with the help of William “Rick” Singer,, an admission consultant at the center of the controversy,。 Singer, who has pleaded guilty,, allegedly bribed a test proctor to correct the teenager’s answers,。 Huffman pleaded guilty in May to a single count of conspiracy and fraud as part of a deal with prosecutors。