As a comparison, a homeless mother who deliberately enrolled her 5-year-old in the wrong school district was sentenced to 5 years in prison: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/mom-went-prison-enrolling-he...

I would argue that the kind of bribery at the heart of this case is considerably worse, as it fosters a mentality that everything is for sale at the right price.

While the charges are absurd people need to stop referencing this case. She was given 5 years for the drug charges so the judge tacked on a concurrent 5 year sentence for the school charges. It has no material impact. If she didn't have the drug charges she wouldn't have been given that sentence.

Does that not have the impact of setting a precedent the next time that someone in the region is charged with the same thing?

"Well, last time, the defendant was given 5 years. Therefore, a fair sentence is 5 years".

Tacking a 5 year sentence on to anything because "it doesn't matter" seems exceptionally short-sighted.

It has an impact on parole boards.

snopes has more background on this comparison, which isn't quite as simple as it is sometimes portrayed: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tanya-mcdowell-felicity-hu...

Neither should be offenses that cause someone to go to prison. Criminal justice reform is so badly needed in this country.

Everything _is_ for sale at the right price. So the only problem here is that they're being honest about it.

There are several precedents that come to mind though, prostitution is one.

Eh. On the one hand, I agree. On the other hand, the wealthy have proved that unless prison is a possible punishment, they're willing and eager to repeatedly pay away their crimes.

Totally, unless they're doing time it's just a business expense.

Which is why I like the concept of percentage fines rather than constants

Fine idea on paper, but it opens up the doors for all sorts of accounting games. You have to keep in mind that the wealthy will always afford more capable and less ethical lawyers and accountants than the public.

So do you think cheating is ok and should not be punished?