>> Steve Wilson, Warren Circuit
Judge, Bowling Green Kentucky.
>> Sure--
>> Let's get in--
>> OK. She wants to know if you would
please issue a bench warrant for him.
>> Why?
>> She wants to know this really 'cause he's
her in home drinking and she's in fear of him.
And part of his compliance was not to
possess or drink alcohol from [inaudible].
>> From this [inaudible].
All right.
>> And she said coming in for a
hearing is fine, she'd come in also
for hearing if you wanted her too.
She'd really doesn't--
>> All right.
We'll issue a bench warrant and we'll
do schedule a hearing as well, OK?
>> All right.
>> About [phonetic] that, OK?
Issue him a warrant.
I want the guy-- I said,
"Look, you are not to drink."
This lady signed your bond is going to lie
[phonetic] you'd come home and then also
when he gets home and he starts getting
liquored up and things like that.
Because the nature of the charge
is-- it's put her in a bad situation.
And when I always have someone arrested, no.
Sometimes you just don't.
But this particular case, I did because I get
concerned that to have that little respect
for the person that signed their
bond, could they endanger the person.
And this lady manifest today
a real, you know, concern.
So, it's better sometimes to be safe and
have them incarcerated and seen the next day
and allow for that kind of-- to make--
>> Keep it-- Yeah.
>> I remember one day looking out into the
gallery and they called around a young man
that was going to prison for stealing something.
And the circumstance of this
theft, I mean he had a bad life.
And he'd been out of trouble for a while.
The circumstances of this theft, he
was stealing to get money but his wife
and his step-child, the child is sick.
Probably, he was stealing to try to keep
the family intact and things of that nature.
He did something I've never seen anybody did.
He look at his wife, he kissed
her and she left the courtroom.
And he came up and I ask him why
he sent her out of the courtroom.
And he said, "I didn't want
her to see me go into prison."
And I was really taken back by that because
most time they'll bring their crying wife
and the child up.
And I saw something in that young
man that said, "You know what?
Maybe you get it."
And I said you may go to prison but
you're not going to prison today.
And let him walk out the door.
>> Oh, that's--
>> Most jurisdiction, once a jury makes a
determination of guilt if the person is guilty.
And most jurisdictions, the
judge then has the final word
on sentencing or makes the determination.
Some state, the jury actually makes
the determination as to whether
or not-- what the punishment will be.
But at the end of the day, all the judges had
the ultimate authority to determine whether
or not it is a fair sentence and
whether or not it should be carried out.