40 votes

Bill Cosby sentenced to three to ten years in prison

30 comments

  1. [4]
    helbonikster
    Link
    I’m having a really hard time with this. I mean, I’m happy that justice is being served, but I feel like a little part of me is dying. I loved Bill Cosby. I grew up watching the Cosby Show, and...

    I’m having a really hard time with this. I mean, I’m happy that justice is being served, but I feel like a little part of me is dying. I loved Bill Cosby. I grew up watching the Cosby Show, and remember him from Fat Albert, and of course the jello pudding commercials. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it’s breaking my heart that this is the legacy he’s leaving behind after a lifetime of entertaining the world. It makes me sad that The Cosby Show will likely never be aired again. This just seems unfair, not just to me, but to everyone who grew up watching and working on the show.

    I realize that this is all his own doing, and it also wouldn’t be fair to deny justice, it’s just that I’m having a bit of a moment right now mourning a piece of childhood lost.

    8 votes
    1. cfabbro
      Link Parent
      I always kinda disliked Cosby just because of how much flak he gave Prior and Eddie Murphy for their "crude" language. And yet during all that time working "clean" and giving other black comedians...

      I always kinda disliked Cosby just because of how much flak he gave Prior and Eddie Murphy for their "crude" language. And yet during all that time working "clean" and giving other black comedians shit who didn't, he was actually going around drugging and raping women... and may in fact be the most prolific serial rapist in US history? Yeah... fuck him and his hypocrisy.

      6 votes
    2. Pilgrim
      Link Parent
      People are complex. They can be both good and bad, often at the same time. I like to celebrate that good part and I invite you to do the same.

      People are complex. They can be both good and bad, often at the same time. I like to celebrate that good part and I invite you to do the same.

      5 votes
    3. boredop
      Link Parent
      Yeah, me too. My brain is having a hard time reconciling that hilarious guy on TV from Fat Albert and the Cosby Show with the rapist we now know him to be. The video is just sad, that little...

      Yeah, me too. My brain is having a hard time reconciling that hilarious guy on TV from Fat Albert and the Cosby Show with the rapist we now know him to be. The video is just sad, that little whimper he lets out when they ask him for comment. He's so pathetic. Cosby was practically a god - one of the greatest comedians ever, a megastar who would have been remembered forever. And he turned out to be a fucking asshole the whole time. What a waste.

      4 votes
  2. [3]
    calcifer
    Link
    I'm not American, so can someone explain how a prison sentence can be variable length? What are the conditions of getting out in 3 years vs in 10?

    I'm not American, so can someone explain how a prison sentence can be variable length? What are the conditions of getting out in 3 years vs in 10?

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      EscReality
      Link Parent
      So, his prison sentence is 10 years, but he will be eligible for parole in 3 years. Meaning that if the parole board sees fit he can be released early for good behavior but he has to serve 3 years...

      So, his prison sentence is 10 years, but he will be eligible for parole in 3 years. Meaning that if the parole board sees fit he can be released early for good behavior but he has to serve 3 years before that is a possibility. Thats how I have always know it.

      14 votes
      1. calcifer
        Link Parent
        That makes sense, thanks!

        That makes sense, thanks!

        5 votes
  3. [2]
    EscReality
    Link
    So, basically, life.

    So, basically, life.

    2 votes
    1. dainumer
      Link Parent
      Yup, he is 81, legally blind and has a slew of other health problems.

      Yup, he is 81, legally blind and has a slew of other health problems.

      4 votes
  4. [22]
    Comment removed by site admin
    Link
    1. [20]
      EscReality
      Link Parent
      No, he doesn't. There was no evidence to back up any of it. A handful of parents accused Michael Jackson of sexually assaulting their children and ultimately all of them were doing it as a money...

      No, he doesn't.

      There was no evidence to back up any of it.

      A handful of parents accused Michael Jackson of sexually assaulting their children and ultimately all of them were doing it as a money grab and he never touched any of the kids inappropriately.

      Trial by public opinion is dangerous.

      Cosby was prosecuted for only one of the women because she was the only one that had a believable story that had some evidence to back it up. There is no way to prove if the other women are making the claims for nefarious reasons or legitimate reasons.

      17 votes
      1. [18]
        spit-evil-olive-tips
        Link Parent
        These seem like they can't both be true. Cosby admitted under oath that he bought quaaludes to give to women and the allegations about him go back to the 60s.

        There was no evidence to back up any of it.

        she was the only one that had a believable story that had some evidence to back it up

        These seem like they can't both be true.

        Cosby admitted under oath that he bought quaaludes to give to women and the allegations about him go back to the 60s.

        10 votes
        1. [15]
          EscReality
          Link Parent
          The prosecution pursued the case that they were able to, that is just how the US court system works. One person's words without corroboration is meaningless. So they pursued the case that had...

          The prosecution pursued the case that they were able to, that is just how the US court system works. One person's words without corroboration is meaningless. So they pursued the case that had corroboration.

          Cosby buying Methaqualone to give to women is not that weird, it's a club drug and is used recreationally as a party drug (especially in the 60s and 70s). Plenty of people buy it to give away at clubs to people they meet (and hook up with), him admitting that doesn't really hold weight because we cannot prove intent. That's like saying some 20-something raver is a rapist because he brought MDMA into a rave. The drugs alone do nothing to prove intent and people buying drugs to give to people they are hooking up with is very common.

          Which is the same conclusion the prosecution came to and why they only pursued the case they could prove.

          1 vote
          1. [14]
            spit-evil-olive-tips
            Link Parent
            So, let's get this straight. When someone is credibly accused of rape or sexual assault, and faces societal penalties but not criminal charges (Kevin Spacey, Louis CK, Brett Kavanaugh, and others)...
            • Exemplary

            So, let's get this straight.

            When someone is credibly accused of rape or sexual assault, and faces societal penalties but not criminal charges (Kevin Spacey, Louis CK, Brett Kavanaugh, and others) the outcry you always hear is "what happened to innocent until proven guilty?!" and that we shouldn't convict people in "the court of public opinion".

            When someone does face criminal charges, and they go to trial, and a jury finds them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt (as happened with Bill Cosby), which is the most stringent standard of evidence in our justice system (civil cases typically operate on the lesser standard of "preponderance of evidence") and what people are calling for in the cases I mentioned above...the goalposts shift, and now there are new objections. The evidence was rather thin, the prosecutors pursued only a narrow case because that's all they had evidence for, etc.

            And suppose the prosecutors had been more aggressive and had tried to charge Cosby with more than they did (which was mostly prevented by the statute of limitations in this case). That would cause the goalposts to shift again, and this time the objection would be "they threw the book at him, with charges they couldn't possibly have proved".

            The goalposts are infinitely moveable. No matter what the exact scenario is, there's always some argument used to defend the accused or convicted rapist.

            9 votes
            1. [11]
              EscReality
              Link Parent
              No one here is defending Cosby. I have no clue what you are attempting to argue.

              No one here is defending Cosby.

              I have no clue what you are attempting to argue.

              3 votes
              1. [10]
                spit-evil-olive-tips
                Link Parent
                From your first post in this thread: So you're not defending him, you're just...saying what, exactly? That the situation is overblown because Cosby is only convicted of raping one woman? And this...

                From your first post in this thread:

                He deserves far longer for his crimes and knowingly he can still get out in as few as three years is a shame.

                No, he doesn't.

                There was no evidence to back up any of it.

                So you're not defending him, you're just...saying what, exactly? That the situation is overblown because Cosby is only convicted of raping one woman?

                And this isn't directly defending Cosby:

                There is no way to prove if the other women are making the claims for nefarious reasons or legitimate reasons.

                But you're still repeating the tired old bullshit about how women who report rape often make up their stories for money, for fame, or just for shits & giggles.

                As I said, the allegations against Cosby are from dozens of women going back to the 60s and are quite consistent about Cosby's pattern of behavior. Do you think there's a smoke-filled lavender-scented backroom somewhere where the Cabal of False Rape Accusers make sure they've all got their story straight for what they're going to accuse Cosby of doing?

                The crime he was just convicted of happened in 2004:

                On December 30, 2015, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Cosby was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault on Constand as a result of a single incident alleged to have occurred at his home in Cheltenham Township on an unspecified date between mid-January and mid-February 2004

                And the rape accusations first surfaced in the 1980s. Do you think it's plausible that several women falsely accused him of rape, and then 20ish years later Cosby actually rapes someone, and it just coincidentally matches the same modus operandi as the previous false accusations?

                7 votes
                1. [9]
                  EscReality
                  (edited )
                  Link Parent
                  First of all, I was not defending him. I was pointing out that the opinion that he deserves much longer in jail for the other crimes he may or may not of committed is completely wrong. He was...

                  First of all, I was not defending him. I was pointing out that the opinion that he deserves much longer in jail for the other crimes he may or may not of committed is completely wrong. He was proven to have committed this crime, none of us have enough information to know if he is guilty of anything else. It is not our job, right or place to make those judgements. Trial by public opinion is not something to be taken lightly.

                  Second, no I am not;

                  repeating the tired old bullshit about how women who report rape often make up their stories for money, for fame, or just for shits & giggles.

                  A shockingly high number of sexual assault cases are because of regret over consensual sex, desire for attention, or are entirely made up. More so when a celebrity is involved. It is only in the last few years we have finally started seeing false accusations actually being prosecuted legally. I am not making that up, it's not "tired old bullshit" its a proven fact and it not only hurts the accused but more importantly it hurts the credibility of women that have had real crimes committed against them.

                  Your stance on the entire issue is blinded by public opinion. The example I used before was perfect for this; People were outright convinced Michael Jackson had molested children, dozens of parents came forward and a few went to trial. It was ultimately proven that none of them had been treated badly by Michael and in reality he was just trying to live out the childhood he never had in a somewhat misguided way. Those allegations were spread out over decades as well and ultimately it was proven that it was all false.

                  So no, until a court of law says Cosby actually committed all the crimes he has been accused of, he is innocent of them. You (and I) have no right to place judgement on him.

                  4 votes
                  1. [8]
                    spit-evil-olive-tips
                    Link Parent
                    What is your evidence for this claim? When you say it's shockingly high, how high is it exactly? You say it's a proven fact, could you link me to the peer-reviewed scientific journals where this...

                    A shockingly high number of sexual assault cases are because of regret over consensual sex, desire for attention, or are entirely made up.

                    What is your evidence for this claim?

                    When you say it's shockingly high, how high is it exactly?

                    You say it's a proven fact, could you link me to the peer-reviewed scientific journals where this research has been published? Or the closest thing to that, if there haven't been any published papers on this in the sociology or criminal justice literature?

                    So no, until a court of law says Cosby actually committed all the crimes he has been accused of, he is innocent of them. You (and I) have no right to place judgement on him.

                    You might think you have no right to judge him, and if you choose not to judge him that's your call. But it's not your place to tell me I'm not allowed to believe he's guilty.

                    As I said, "beyond a reasonable doubt" is the evidentiary standard used in criminal trials; most civil trials use "preponderance of evidence". Each of us has a different evidentiary standard for determining guilt or innocence in our own minds. I'm not sending Cosby to an imaginary prison in my own head, so there's no due process violation for me to believe his dozens of accusers more than I believe Cosby himself.

                    5 votes
                    1. [7]
                      EscReality
                      Link Parent
                      You neither know Cosby or his accusers, nor have you actually seen the evidence in each of their cases or spoken to them directly. No, you should not be passing judgements. You can feel justified...

                      You neither know Cosby or his accusers, nor have you actually seen the evidence in each of their cases or spoken to them directly.

                      No, you should not be passing judgements. You can feel justified in doing so all you want, but that does not make it right.

                      I am not going to get into it with you on the subject of false accusations, there is plenty of evidence out there you can use to educate yourself. My personal experience comes from minoring in criminal justice in college. You clearly feel strongly about the subject so I doubt anything I show you would be met with unbiased review.

                      2 votes
                      1. [6]
                        spit-evil-olive-tips
                        Link Parent
                        False allegations of sexual assault: an analysis of ten years of reported cases Study of Reported Rapes in Victoria 2000-2003, Summary Research Report Is 2-10% the "shockingly high" figure you...

                        False allegations of sexual assault: an analysis of ten years of reported cases

                        Of the 136 cases of sexual assault reported over the 10-year period, 8 (5.9%) are coded as false allegations. These results, taken in the context of an examination of previous research, indicate that the prevalence of false allegations is between 2% and 10%.

                        Study of Reported Rapes in Victoria 2000-2003, Summary Research Report

                        Using the database of the Victoria Police Law Enforcement Assistance Program (Australia), this study analyzed 850 rapes reported to Victoria Police from 2000 to 2003
                        ...
                        Only a small percentage of cases (2.1 percent) were designated by police as false.

                        Is 2-10% the "shockingly high" figure you were thinking of? You didn't answer my previous question about what specifically you considered to be shockingly high.

                        Of course, that's just two studies that I found with some quick Googling. You have a minor in criminal justice, so I'm sure you're much better at this sort of literature review than I am. I'd love it if you could give me some links to more in-depth studies.

                        2 votes
                        1. [5]
                          vakieh
                          Link Parent
                          How many result in a conviction? Because it's not a case of '2.1% were found to be false, therefore 97.9% were accurate', it's '2.1% were found to be false, therefore 97.9% were not found to be...

                          How many result in a conviction? Because it's not a case of '2.1% were found to be false, therefore 97.9% were accurate', it's '2.1% were found to be false, therefore 97.9% were not found to be false'.

                          A quick wikipedia search puts it at around 3% of reported rapes lead to incarceration or felony conviction in the US.

                          This means 94.9% are squarely in the 'we don't know enough to be sure' category. Trying to auto-assign those to one side or the other is disgustingly intellectually dishonest, and puts holes in an argument that shouldn't need to rely on conviction rates at all.

                          2 votes
                          1. [4]
                            spit-evil-olive-tips
                            Link Parent
                            Right...so again, the topic we're discussing in this subthread is @EscReality's claim: I'm not sure how what you said connects back to that original topic. I asked for evidence to support their...

                            Right...so again, the topic we're discussing in this subthread is @EscReality's claim:

                            A shockingly high number of sexual assault cases are because of regret over consensual sex, desire for attention, or are entirely made up.

                            I'm not sure how what you said connects back to that original topic.

                            I asked for evidence to support their claim, they responded with what I am again going to call tired old bullshit:

                            there is plenty of evidence out there you can use to educate yourself

                            In other words, "I believe it's true, so it's not my job to provide evidence to back it up".

                            I did some quick googling and found those 2-10% numbers. You seem to be reading that as me claiming there's proof that 90-98% of reports of rape are true - that's not what I'm saying. I'm just using those as a counterexample, to show that the claim of false reports being "shockingly high" (which @EscReality also refused to quantify when I asked) is likely false.

                            4 votes
                            1. [3]
                              EscReality
                              (edited )
                              Link Parent
                              I just wanted to clarify something with you. I am not refusing to discuss this with you because I think I am wrong or not willing to back up my claim, I am refusing to discuss this with you...

                              I just wanted to clarify something with you. I am not refusing to discuss this with you because I think I am wrong or not willing to back up my claim, I am refusing to discuss this with you because you are approaching the subject very aggressively and honestly, that isn't worth my time and energy. This is a tangent from the original discussion and its not a topic I feel like expending unnecessary energy in pursuing.

                              You have already provided the wiki with the statistics needed for you to pursue it further, not sure why you need me.

                              2 votes
                              1. [2]
                                spit-evil-olive-tips
                                Link Parent
                                Yeah, I'm getting pissed in this thread. You know why? I thought Tildes was better than this: This could easily be a quote from /r/redpill or one of the incel subreddits. You made a bullshit...

                                Yeah, I'm getting pissed in this thread. You know why? I thought Tildes was better than this:

                                A shockingly high number of sexual assault cases are because of regret over consensual sex, desire for attention, or are entirely made up.

                                This could easily be a quote from /r/redpill or one of the incel subreddits.

                                You made a bullshit claim, dodged when I asked you for evidence to support it, dropped the weakest argument to authority I've ever seen (ooh, a minor in criminal justice?) but now you're saying that I'm the problem because I'm being mean.

                                3 votes
                                1. EscReality
                                  Link Parent
                                  I am not dodging the conversation, I am dodging someone that is clearly not capable of continuing the discussion civilly. The accusations you just made towards me proves that. Take a hard look at...

                                  now you're saying that I'm the problem because I'm being mean.

                                  I am not dodging the conversation, I am dodging someone that is clearly not capable of continuing the discussion civilly. The accusations you just made towards me proves that.

                                  Take a hard look at yourself.

            2. [3]
              Comment deleted by author
              Link Parent
              1. spit-evil-olive-tips
                Link Parent
                Except I'm not lumping them together. I'm explicitly saying they're different. The accusations against those 3 are all of various severity, with Kavanaugh's being the most serious (attempted rape)...

                Except I'm not lumping them together. I'm explicitly saying they're different.

                The accusations against those 3 are all of various severity, with Kavanaugh's being the most serious (attempted rape) but the factor they have in common is they have not yet faced any criminal charges.

                2 votes
              2. EscReality
                Link Parent
                I agree, they are all very different cases with varying degrees of severity. Lumping them all together just shows that the argument is based in public opinion, not the facts of this one instance.

                I agree, they are all very different cases with varying degrees of severity.

                Lumping them all together just shows that the argument is based in public opinion, not the facts of this one instance.

                1 vote
        2. [2]
          Hypersapien
          Link Parent
          The problem is that the statute of limitations on rape in California is 10 years. His career is over, though. Even after he gets out, no one will touch him.

          The problem is that the statute of limitations on rape in California is 10 years.

          His career is over, though. Even after he gets out, no one will touch him.

          1. super_james
            Link Parent
            Not sure how much career you'd expect a legally blind 81 year old to have really.

            His career is over, though. Even after he gets out, no one will touch him.

            Not sure how much career you'd expect a legally blind 81 year old to have really.

      2. [2]
        Comment removed by site admin
        Link Parent
        1. helbonikster
          Link Parent
          I was about to comment that there was no statute of limitations on rape, but then I thought I should double check that. I was wrong. It was only 10 years in California, but apparently that’s changing.

          I was about to comment that there was no statute of limitations on rape, but then I thought I should double check that.

          I was wrong. It was only 10 years in California, but apparently that’s changing.

          8 votes
    2. clerical_terrors
      Link Parent
      At some point when dealing with the elderly prison sentences are dialed back. The simple truth is that he might not even live past 3 years for all we know.

      At some point when dealing with the elderly prison sentences are dialed back. The simple truth is that he might not even live past 3 years for all we know.

      5 votes