Ficter

FIGHT ON FOR FICHTER

Jennifer Fichter case comes under review

 

Your letter of appeal to the judge can make a decisive difference! Write now!

By Stephen Wilson

 

High school teacher Jennifer Fichter was sentenced to 22 
years for having sex with three teenage students.

 

Incredulity, astonishment and amazement! Beyond belief! 

Such is the emotional response aroused among many Russians and people all over the world at the fate of American English teacher Jennifer Fichter who has now been languishing in jail for seven years. 

For anyone unaware of this case, Jennifer Fichter is an American English teacher who was charged and found guilty of having illicit sex with three 17-year-old students and received the severe sentence of 22 years imprisonment in July 2015. 

At that time this heavy and hysterical  sentence provoked a sense of outrage and injustice throughout the World especially in Russia. A campaign to review her sentence secured a massive reservoir of support. In just a few days after her sentence, a staggering 41,000 people in Russia signed a petition for her sentence to be reviewed and reduced. By 2019 the number of people who had signed a petition had grown to 77,000 and this is not to mention the numerous letters of appeal, support and articles asking for the release of Jennifer Fichter. Many believe she should not be behind bars in the first place. At present her case is coming up for review therefore this is just the ripe time for all concerned people to write letters of appeal to the judge who will be reviewing her case.

 

There are several good reasons why Fichter's case should be reviewed. However, at least 3 or 4 reasons immediately spring to mind:

 

1. The severe punishment hardly fits the crime. It is an inappropriate punishment because the usual practice in such cases is for the school teacher to be dismissed and denied future work as a teacher. The stigma and being blacklisted represents a hard enough punishment. Lenoid Perlov, a representative of the Russian trade union 'Teacher',  who was interviewed by Second City Teachers told us that "If I was in charge of those cases I would just dismiss the teachers from their jobs and ban them from working in this particular part or area of America. I would not put them in prison. But teachers have to understand they must maintain a distance from their pupils." Despite the sensationalism of the media who focus on the titillating and lurid aspects of this case, Jennifer Fichter is no rapist, murderer, child molester and predator. Most of her students were not victims who suffered trauma, harm or violence. In fact, according to some American states they would not be deemed minors. Compare this sentence with the fact that a Norwegian Neo Nazis murdered 77 people and wounded 150 in 2011 and received a lesser sentence of 21 years.

 

2. The case represents a classic example of a cruel and unusual punishment which violates the 8th American Bill of Rights. No clear purpose is served by the incarceration of Fichter. It is not in anyone's interest to prolong the pointless suffering of this teacher whose self-esteem is damaged and her family needlessly feels intense pain. Jim Vail, a journalist and trade union activist who has followed many such cases over the years, points out, "Nothing was accomplished by this draconian sentence but outrage from many people from all over the World. This calls into question the leeway a judge has to issue a sentence out of proportion to what the norm dictates. A sentencing panel in which a number of judges recommends the sentence would be a much fairer way to sentence someone in this case. What kind of message is the United States sending the World by imprisoning someone for 22 years for a problem that should be addressed with social therapy, not bars?"

 

3. This case and others which were tried by Judge Glenn Shelby are full of glaring inconsistencies which defy right reason and justice. For instance, a retired judge Ernest Jones claimed to have found inconsistencies in two well known legal rulings by the circuit judge Glenn Shelby. For instance, why was there a huge discrepancy between a drunken driver who received a 12-year sentence for accidently killing a pregnant teenage girl and the 22-year old sentence handed out to the teacher Fichter? The reasoning used by the judge in such cases raises many questions about the very philosophy and lack of logic exercised in such rulings. Ernest Jones stated he would have handled this case much differently. He considers the jail sentence too long. He would have sentenced  Fichter to little prison time and 'Probably a lot of probation.' Jones expressed reservations about whether this punishment served any useful purpose. He stated, 'We have too many people in prison who don't need to be there. There are other ways to send a message to the public and 'punish' an offender who doesn't pose a serious threat to the public ...'

 

According to Denis Jacques a leading campaigner to free Jennifer Fichter, the logic behind the sentence was bizarre:

'They stacked one charge per act for a total of 37 charges .{one charge per sex act} A joke going around the courts is that 'Fichter. It damn near killed her.' That policy does not make any sense more than having 5 counts of murder for killing someone with 5 bullets instead of one.' We absolutely agree with Denis Jacques!

 

It is clear that this sentence is arbitrary, absurd and cruel. It is arbitrary because if Fichter had been found guilty in Georgia where the age of consent is 16 she would have been free today.

 

So why has the American state taken so long to rectify this wrong? Perhaps part of the reason is that no judge likes to admit he has made a wrong decision and the American legal system remains very conservative. Many sections of the media have never addressed this case seriously and are only interested in the extent to which the scandal can sell newspapers. For them this is just another story to sell for the sake of profit. And another problem is that for some inexplicable reason the petition for Fichter was removed from some social networks. Some opponents hope that the case, with the passage of time, will gradually fade away into obscurity. In other words, Jennifer Fichter will become a forgotten prisoner.

 

Well, we won't let this happen. The campaign must continue. As an old English proverb goes - 'In for a penny, in for a pound'. Therefore we appeal to you to write a letter to the following address below asking for the judge to reduce the sentence of Jennifer Fichter. It does not take long to write such a brief letter. Get your friends to also write letters. Ignore those who are cynical and tell you it is all in vain. The history of countless pressure groups such as Amnesty International proves otherwise. Letters do in deed make a difference! Don't let Jennifer Fichter become a forgotten prisoner. She doesn't deserve such a fate !

 

The letter should be addressed to

 

Polk County Clerk of Court,

Drawer CC-9

P.O. Box 9000,

Barton,

Florida  33831-9000

The United States of America.

{to be forwarded to the respected Judge Michael P Mc Daniel.}