Circuit Judge

>> 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.