Why prison isn’t the best option for stupidity

Should a person go to jail because of stupidity?

That question almost sounds like a silly one, but really, it isn’t.

It’s also not a purely hypothetical one, as a local district judge will answer it Nov. 7 when Karli Jo Brown appears for sentencing.

Brown pleaded guilty last week to Stupidity in the First Degree. Obviously, that’s not the formal charge; it’s motor vehicle homicide.

But when you plead guilty to charges stemming from a fatal accident you caused because you were speeding, texting, and passing in a no-passing zone, you essentially are pleading guilty to at the very least, Temporary Stupidity.

Every single person is guilty of Temporary Stupidity at some point and time in our lives. Fortunately though, most of us are lucky enough that our stupidity didn’t result in the deaths of a 2- and 4-year-old.

Brown isn’t that lucky, and on Nov. 7, she could be told by a judge she will be spending the next 20 years of her life in prison.

But we all know that’s not going to happen.

Chances are, she won’t spend a single day in jail, and that may be the best thing.

While there is obvious evidence of negligence, there certainly isn’t malice or intent to harm.

And even the negligence is somewhat excusable as she wasn’t intoxicated with anything other than the Temporary Stupidity disease that is prevalent in society, young and old alike.

Sending her to prison will only ruin another young life.

Of course, it’s easy for me to say that as I’m not the grieving parent left behind. Certainly, my sense of justice would be very different if I were that emotionally involved.

However, an alternate “punishment” might actually serve as the best sentence not only for Brown, the community and the memory of the boys. As details from the accident were released, my wife commented she should be saving the articles and sending them to her college-age sister, who also suffers from Temporary Stupidity at times and likes to text while driving.

I rolled my eyes at the suggestion, realizing the minimal impact it would have, if she even bothered to read the articles.

Yet if someone like Brown, who has to live with the consequences of her actions on a daily basis, were to actually talk about her experiences and mistakes, the effect could be immeasurable.

Typically, I have seen this kind of “sentence” imposed on the drunk driver who rolled their car and killed their best friend.

But in this day and age of rampant texting and irresponsible driving, I think it would be highly effective and appropriate for Brown to go to every single school in Montgomery, Mills, and Page County, complete with photos of the wreck and of the little boys, and explain to students what can happen when you make stupid mistakes.

It won’t bring back the two little boys, but neither will jail time. And it just might prevent another similar tragedy.

Gregory Orear is the general manager/editor of the Red Oak Express and can be reached at publisher@redoakexpress.com.