US legal system
US legal system
First stage of the process that shocked me was that the police actually managed to catch the criminals the same night they stole it and get all our stuff back unharmed! Within a few days we had everything back (mostly) and it wasn't really a huge issue. The only things that went missing were 2 of the remote controls, a few DVDs, and a few PS2 games. Not really a biggie in the grand scheme of things, cost maybe $300 to replace all that so I was pretty happy that we didn't need to make an insurance claim or anything and we had got off pretty lightly.
However, that wasn't the end of the story, because instead of the way it works here where the criminal would just walk out of court with a slap on the wrists, the US justice system actually works slightly differently.
The courts called me up to ask whether I could attend the hearing, I said I couldn't make the time to do it but if I had they would have covered all my travel costs. Because I couldn't make any statement myself in court, they asked me what effect the whole event had had on me and what the loss was.
I explained that it was a holiday home, so it hadn't made a significant personal impact, and that my loss was only about $300 so overall I wasn't unhappy. They told me that that was fine, and that they would look to claim the amount from the guilty party and make him repay it (in instalments if necessary).
So a few months following this (probably around early 08) the first cheque arrived. It was for around $150 which I was pretty chuffed with, and then another few arrived over the next few months for similar amounts, so I thought maybe the judge had ordered him to pay slightly more as compensation.
Think I received about 3 or 4 cheques last year and then at the beginning of this year I think I received two cheques but for much reduced amounts (around $15) and then I didn't receive anything after that so thought that must have been the end of that.
That was until 2 weeks ago though, when I received another cheque for $165! Then imagine my surprise to receive another cheque in the mail yesterday for another $125!
I really have no idea how much they initially ordered him to pay, or how many more cheques I'm going to receive - I wish I had actually paid attention to it to know for sure, but I'm sure he must have paid me around $900 by now!
Obviously this is just the state of Florida, so I don't know if it applies across the US, but how amazing must it be to live in a society where criminals are actually made to pay for their actions, and the normal decent people are compensated if affected by crime?
Sorry this is a really long story, but just had to tell it all as I'm just so taken aback by the whole thing!
2002 '02' IS200 SE Auto - DVD Satnav with Voice Activation - [COLOR="Blue"]Strathcaron Blue - Parking Sensors - 5000K HIDs with Anti-Glare Bulbs - PIAA 6500K Main Beams - LED Sidelights - Mirror/Sunroof Closure - TTE Styling Kit - 18" Styling Kit Alloys with nitrogen filled Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Tyres - Bluetouch Multimedia Kit - Gromaudio AUX in - Black painted calipers with silver Lexus decals - 12 LED Dome Light - 96 LED Boot Light - Stainless Steel Sport Sill Plates - PIAA Silicone Wipers[/COLOR]
Just wanted to share a story with you all that has had me completely surprised and very impressed with how different things are across the Atlantic compared to how they are here! As most of you know we have a house in Florida and in December 2007 it got burgled - we got hit reasonably hard as they took the 42" plasma, DVD home cinema system, PS2, the stereo from the kitchen a few of the other TVs, and a few other bits and bobs they had grabbed during the robbery.
First stage of the process that shocked me was that the police actually managed to catch the criminals the same night they stole it and get all our stuff back unharmed! Within a few days we had everything back (mostly) and it wasn't really a huge issue. The only things that went missing were 2 of the remote controls, a few DVDs, and a few PS2 games. Not really a biggie in the grand scheme of things, cost maybe $300 to replace all that so I was pretty happy that we didn't need to make an insurance claim or anything and we had got off pretty lightly.
However, that wasn't the end of the story, because instead of the way it works here where the criminal would just walk out of court with a slap on the wrists, the US justice system actually works slightly differently.
The courts called me up to ask whether I could attend the hearing, I said I couldn't make the time to do it but if I had they would have covered all my travel costs. Because I couldn't make any statement myself in court, they asked me what effect the whole event had had on me and what the loss was.
I explained that it was a holiday home, so it hadn't made a significant personal impact, and that my loss was only about $300 so overall I wasn't unhappy. They told me that that was fine, and that they would look to claim the amount from the guilty party and make him repay it (in instalments if necessary).
So a few months following this (probably around early 08) the first cheque arrived. It was for around $150 which I was pretty chuffed with, and then another few arrived over the next few months for similar amounts, so I thought maybe the judge had ordered him to pay slightly more as compensation.
Think I received about 3 or 4 cheques last year and then at the beginning of this year I think I received two cheques but for much reduced amounts (around $15) and then I didn't receive anything after that so thought that must have been the end of that.
That was until 2 weeks ago though, when I received another cheque for $165! Then imagine my surprise to receive another cheque in the mail yesterday for another $125!
I really have no idea how much they initially ordered him to pay, or how many more cheques I'm going to receive - I wish I had actually paid attention to it to know for sure, but I'm sure he must have paid me around $900 by now!
Obviously this is just the state of Florida, so I don't know if it applies across the US, but how amazing must it be to live in a society where criminals are actually made to pay for their actions, and the normal decent people are compensated if affected by crime?
Sorry this is a really long story, but just had to tell it all as I'm just so taken aback by the whole thing!
2002 '02' IS200 SE Auto - DVD Satnav with Voice Activation - [COLOR="Blue"]Strathcaron Blue - Parking Sensors - 5000K HIDs with Anti-Glare Bulbs - PIAA 6500K Main Beams - LED Sidelights - Mirror/Sunroof Closure - TTE Styling Kit - 18" Styling Kit Alloys with nitrogen filled Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Tyres - Bluetouch Multimedia Kit - Gromaudio AUX in - Black painted calipers with silver Lexus decals - 12 LED Dome Light - 96 LED Boot Light - Stainless Steel Sport Sill Plates - PIAA Silicone Wipers[/COLOR]
unfortunately the good things from your story will be counter-acted by bad things in their other policies!
![[Image: LexuS-Copy.jpg]](http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h204/Sparkystav/LexuS-Copy.jpg)
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Please leave your comments.
Sparkystav
02-09-2016, 02:10 AM #3excellent story mate,
unfortunately the good things from your story will be counter-acted by bad things in their other policies!
Read my thread here: The Evolution of my Turbo Lexus from NA-Supercharged-Twin Turbo-Massive Single
Please leave your comments.
Lexusboy Wow now that is a great system why on earth have we not gone the same way in the UK.I know, it's amazing there can be such a difference - I think it's just a fundamental difference with how over there they think of criminals as scum, whereas over here we still think they deserve rights in excess of what normal people are offered.
I guess because most people stealing dont have much money or are on drugs.
Glad that in your case things have worked out well :wink:
That's another difference actually, they have to pay whatever their financial circumstances - even if they can only pay $10 every 6 months they have to pay it, whereas over here they wouldn't make them pay if they had poor income.
Sparkystav excellent story mate,True, I say this relatively often but from a global perspective I don't agree with much of what the US believes, but as a normal person living a normal life, you're so much better off over there!
unfortunately the good things from your story will be counter-acted by bad things in their other policies!
2002 '02' IS200 SE Auto - DVD Satnav with Voice Activation - [COLOR="Blue"]Strathcaron Blue - Parking Sensors - 5000K HIDs with Anti-Glare Bulbs - PIAA 6500K Main Beams - LED Sidelights - Mirror/Sunroof Closure - TTE Styling Kit - 18" Styling Kit Alloys with nitrogen filled Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Tyres - Bluetouch Multimedia Kit - Gromaudio AUX in - Black painted calipers with silver Lexus decals - 12 LED Dome Light - 96 LED Boot Light - Stainless Steel Sport Sill Plates - PIAA Silicone Wipers[/COLOR]
Lexusboy Wow now that is a great system why on earth have we not gone the same way in the UK.I know, it's amazing there can be such a difference - I think it's just a fundamental difference with how over there they think of criminals as scum, whereas over here we still think they deserve rights in excess of what normal people are offered.
I guess because most people stealing dont have much money or are on drugs.
Glad that in your case things have worked out well :wink:
That's another difference actually, they have to pay whatever their financial circumstances - even if they can only pay $10 every 6 months they have to pay it, whereas over here they wouldn't make them pay if they had poor income.
Sparkystav excellent story mate,True, I say this relatively often but from a global perspective I don't agree with much of what the US believes, but as a normal person living a normal life, you're so much better off over there!
unfortunately the good things from your story will be counter-acted by bad things in their other policies!
2002 '02' IS200 SE Auto - DVD Satnav with Voice Activation - [COLOR="Blue"]Strathcaron Blue - Parking Sensors - 5000K HIDs with Anti-Glare Bulbs - PIAA 6500K Main Beams - LED Sidelights - Mirror/Sunroof Closure - TTE Styling Kit - 18" Styling Kit Alloys with nitrogen filled Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Tyres - Bluetouch Multimedia Kit - Gromaudio AUX in - Black painted calipers with silver Lexus decals - 12 LED Dome Light - 96 LED Boot Light - Stainless Steel Sport Sill Plates - PIAA Silicone Wipers[/COLOR]
Was Supercharged Racing Green IS200 Sport. Now APR Stage 1 Seat Leon Cupra (220 Bhp).
I had a tenant here in the UK fail to pay me around £2500 in rent over 3 years. Short story, took her to court and won. They ordered her to pay me in installments, £50 a month! Got the first cheque then nothing since. Got in touch with the courts to get it deducted from her pay, tax whatever it maybe as I no longer knew where she worked. They told me it was my duty to find her. So got sod all after that!
They have the power but did nothing. So good on Florida, keep them cheques coming!
[COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]--------------------
IS200SE, Astral Black, Auto, DVD Sat Nav, TTE Front Bumper, TRD rear skirt, TRD side skirts, IS300 Lip spoiler with integrated brake light, 18" Inovit Hunter Alloy wheels with Toyo T1-S 225/40 tyres, Dark Lexus Fogs and Headlights, LS430 side repeaters, Sport Auto Pedals, Lexus floor mats with custom decals, 8000k HIDs, Xenon LED sidelights, GromAudio Ipod lead, WIM calibrated geometry...[/COLOR]
Wow, that's really good!
I had a tenant here in the UK fail to pay me around £2500 in rent over 3 years. Short story, took her to court and won. They ordered her to pay me in installments, £50 a month! Got the first cheque then nothing since. Got in touch with the courts to get it deducted from her pay, tax whatever it maybe as I no longer knew where she worked. They told me it was my duty to find her. So got sod all after that!
They have the power but did nothing. So good on Florida, keep them cheques coming!
[COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]--------------------
IS200SE, Astral Black, Auto, DVD Sat Nav, TTE Front Bumper, TRD rear skirt, TRD side skirts, IS300 Lip spoiler with integrated brake light, 18" Inovit Hunter Alloy wheels with Toyo T1-S 225/40 tyres, Dark Lexus Fogs and Headlights, LS430 side repeaters, Sport Auto Pedals, Lexus floor mats with custom decals, 8000k HIDs, Xenon LED sidelights, GromAudio Ipod lead, WIM calibrated geometry...[/COLOR]
Lexusboy I agree with Wozza 100%
Me too, americans as a collective don't like criminals, whereas we think they deserve rights often in excess of what the rest of us are offered.......
That's really c**p Purvesh, so you never got anything back in the end?
2002 '02' IS200 SE Auto - DVD Satnav with Voice Activation - [COLOR="Blue"]Strathcaron Blue - Parking Sensors - 5000K HIDs with Anti-Glare Bulbs - PIAA 6500K Main Beams - LED Sidelights - Mirror/Sunroof Closure - TTE Styling Kit - 18" Styling Kit Alloys with nitrogen filled Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Tyres - Bluetouch Multimedia Kit - Gromaudio AUX in - Black painted calipers with silver Lexus decals - 12 LED Dome Light - 96 LED Boot Light - Stainless Steel Sport Sill Plates - PIAA Silicone Wipers[/COLOR]
Lexusboy I agree with Wozza 100%
Me too, americans as a collective don't like criminals, whereas we think they deserve rights often in excess of what the rest of us are offered.......
That's really c**p Purvesh, so you never got anything back in the end?
2002 '02' IS200 SE Auto - DVD Satnav with Voice Activation - [COLOR="Blue"]Strathcaron Blue - Parking Sensors - 5000K HIDs with Anti-Glare Bulbs - PIAA 6500K Main Beams - LED Sidelights - Mirror/Sunroof Closure - TTE Styling Kit - 18" Styling Kit Alloys with nitrogen filled Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Tyres - Bluetouch Multimedia Kit - Gromaudio AUX in - Black painted calipers with silver Lexus decals - 12 LED Dome Light - 96 LED Boot Light - Stainless Steel Sport Sill Plates - PIAA Silicone Wipers[/COLOR]
In Brazil your family have to pay for your food, clothes etc if you are in jail. the rest of Europe just give people a **** good beating if they catch you breaking the law:Bazza: in the UK we give them PS3's and 360's and feather pillows.
"Life's goal is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body. But, rather to skid in sideways........
totally worn out and broken, shouting 'Holy ****, WHAT A RIDE!'"
FirebirdPhil
03-09-2016, 03:33 AM #9Wozza is right as ever!!
In Brazil your family have to pay for your food, clothes etc if you are in jail. the rest of Europe just give people a **** good beating if they catch you breaking the law:Bazza: in the UK we give them PS3's and 360's and feather pillows.
"Life's goal is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body. But, rather to skid in sideways........
totally worn out and broken, shouting 'Holy ****, WHAT A RIDE!'"
parthiban Me too, americans as a collective don't like criminals, whereas we think they deserve rights often in excess of what the rest of us are offered.......
That's really c**p Purvesh, so you never got anything back in the end?
Nothing but grief and a £50 cheque mate. I really wanted the courts to put a process in place that it would be deducted directly via PAYE or something.
They were pants all round.
[COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]--------------------
IS200SE, Astral Black, Auto, DVD Sat Nav, TTE Front Bumper, TRD rear skirt, TRD side skirts, IS300 Lip spoiler with integrated brake light, 18" Inovit Hunter Alloy wheels with Toyo T1-S 225/40 tyres, Dark Lexus Fogs and Headlights, LS430 side repeaters, Sport Auto Pedals, Lexus floor mats with custom decals, 8000k HIDs, Xenon LED sidelights, GromAudio Ipod lead, WIM calibrated geometry...[/COLOR]
parthiban Me too, americans as a collective don't like criminals, whereas we think they deserve rights often in excess of what the rest of us are offered.......
That's really c**p Purvesh, so you never got anything back in the end?
Nothing but grief and a £50 cheque mate. I really wanted the courts to put a process in place that it would be deducted directly via PAYE or something.
They were pants all round.
[COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]--------------------
IS200SE, Astral Black, Auto, DVD Sat Nav, TTE Front Bumper, TRD rear skirt, TRD side skirts, IS300 Lip spoiler with integrated brake light, 18" Inovit Hunter Alloy wheels with Toyo T1-S 225/40 tyres, Dark Lexus Fogs and Headlights, LS430 side repeaters, Sport Auto Pedals, Lexus floor mats with custom decals, 8000k HIDs, Xenon LED sidelights, GromAudio Ipod lead, WIM calibrated geometry...[/COLOR]
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