Judge Accused of Sex With Inmates

According to a story from BBC News, former circuit judge, Herman Thomas has been accused of having sex with male inmates in exchange for leniency in Mobile, AL.

Mr. Thomas is no longer a circuit judge due to his resigning in 2007, in regards to charges alleging Thomas spanked inmates in his private office with a paddle. Since that time, several prisoners have come forward with far more serious allegations, including sexual assault, sodomy, extortion, and even kidnapping.

When I first read the headline link from BBC News, I assumed this was surely not a judge in the United States. But to my surprise, when I clicked on the link, this took place, allegedly, right here in our country. Mr. Thomas has denied any charges. Therefore, this case will go to trial. If he is found guilty, maybe there can be a more strict form of hiring judges and watching them more closely. Judges have an extreme amount of power and that can be a very good thing, but put in the wrong hands can be a tragedy.

Of course, Thomas's lawyer, Robert Clark, defends his client by stating these alleged victims were only trying to ruin his client's career. Also, that this is a form of "high-tech lynching" that is politically motivated.

I have a hard time believing that approximately 15 former and current prisoners would just make up a story like this. What would they really have to gain? Especially the former prisoners. The abuse took place they claim, in exchange for leniency. So if they report this, they could face the possibility of this turning on them, even though they are agreeing to testify against Thomas.

These prisoners will have to get on the stand and speak in detail about what they claim occurred. It certainly wouldn't be an easy thing to do. They will also have to face cross-examination and with all the prisoners involved, I don't think the prosecutor would risk that if he didn't honestly believe Thomas performed these acts. And for the prisoners to do all this to ruin someone's career? It seems a little hard to believe. Besides, Thomas already resigned in 2007 due to the incidents that happened in his private office. I think the prisoners are doing this for the principal of the matter.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, otherwise known as NAACP, which deals with civil rights, claims that Mr. Thomas is being prosecuted because of his race. Do they really think Mr. Thomas's rights are being violated? Don't get me wrong, this can be a wonderful organization. We have come a long way in this country due to the efforts of organizations such as these. However, I really don't think turning our judicial system into the bad guy is really necessary.

Looking at the small information from the news story, there seems to be enough there to understand why the prosecutor would choose to go through with this case. So before the NAACP jumps the gun, and decides that this is a racial issue, maybe they should wait until the case goes to trial to hear all the evidence. Then let an impartial jury decide if he is guilty.

The trial is set to last several weeks.