This week your chapter focuses on voluntary and involuntary commitments.
Directions
Read Probation Case Below
Answer Discussion Question 2
Probation Case Study
In a small town in Nebraska a 22-year-old man was charged with attempting intercourse with a horse. The defendant pled guilty to an amended misdemeanor charge of Bestiality. The judge ordered the defendant to complete a presentence investigation at the probation office.
Details of the case included: the defendant had driven to a guy’s farm, had brought a little ladder with him, and took the ladder out, climbed up on it, pulled his pants down, and started to have intercourse with the horse. The farmer happened to drive by and caught the defendant in the act. If the farmer not driven by, the defendant likely would not have been caught.
The defendant reported to the probation officer on time for his interview. The defendant was cooperative. The probation officer had already obtained the police report. The defendant had a couple of prior arrests for window peeping and taking some women underwear off of clotheslines. During the interview, the defendant felt bad for what he did and told the probation officer it would never happen again. The defendant had a lower IQ and had a diagnosis of mild depression. The defendant said during the interview that the thought of having sex with the horse and the actual sex act itself helped him with his depression.
Discussion Question 2
If you were the probation officer, what would you recommend for sentencing? Do you feel hospitalization is warranted in this case? Make sure to support your recommendation.
