First it was Div, now we learn that Brian Joyce has resigned from the local beat at WCAX. It wasn't always the courts, but that's where I generally saw him, either on the tube or in person.
Brian has always had an inquisitive mind, and he put the time in to understand the stories. When you work in the courts, and the cases you're working on can be complicated, you appreciate that.
Good luck, Brian.
http://www.building-block.org/…
Brian Joyce said Judge Cashman said during the Mark Hulett case that “punishment just does not work.”
The anchor of that night’s broadcast paraphrased it as “the judge said he no longer believes in punishment.”
In fact what Cashman said was “punishment is not enough.”
He expressed this sentiment in explaining that sending Hulett to jail did nothing to prevent him from re-offending after his release.
In other words punishment had to be coupled with treatment to reduce the likelihood of future victims.
Cashman’s whole point was that the Department of Corrections wouldn’t make treatment part of the sentence for offenders like Hulett.
Cashman was vilified nationwide for months by the likes of Bill O’Reilly and Nancy Grace, people who incorrectly characterized Cashman’s words because they relied on Joyce’s inaccurate report.
To date, Joyce has not acknowledged his error or apologized for the damage he did to the reputation of a fine, thoughtful jurist.
You might miss Joyce after he leaves WCAX. I won’t.
Judge Cashman was indeed the victim of a mis-informed witchhunt. As so often happens, the mob interest was eventually distracted to somewhere else, and Judge Cashman was never vindicated. I believe he resigned about a year later.