To the Editor:
I’m writing this in order to see if anyone else in the Carter County area and surrounding areas thinks the justice system here is completely unjust.
Recently a mother put her baby in an unused freezer with standing water in the bottom and shut the lid with the intention of leaving the baby in the freezer, which would have caused death. Luckily, a neighbor had seen what happened and was able to rescue the baby. Should this not be considered attempted murder?
The mother was given two years of probation. What a joke! She should have gotten some major jail time, on the same continuum if you are caught with marijuana, pills, drug paraphernalia, or any other kind of substance Carter County law officers find suspicious. You are put in jail, dragged to court, and given anywhere from five years to life because you are considered a danger to society.
I know people who are in federal prison just for text messages — people who have never been in trouble before with charges of conspiracy because they are deemed a danger to society. I’m in no way condoning the making, selling, or ingesting of drugs, but I do think a child’s murder, attempted murder, or a child rapist should get more time than an addict or a dealer.
Is someone that tries to kill a child or someone that rapes children or participates in child porn not a danger to society? Not according to the judicial system here. They get a smack on the hand and set free. The judicial system in this area is a joke. Just remember, you could murder someone here and get a lot less time than if you were to be caught with marijuana. If the judges can’t recognize the people that are real threats to society then we need to find new ones because it looks to me like the ones we have cannot distinguish between a threat or not a threat.

Gina Cowden
Elizabethton