After years of talking about Bill Cosby, hearing allegations from over 50 women, and watching or reading about the legal wrangling of the criminal justice system, he is finally in prison and will likely die there.
The judge sentenced Cosby to 3-10 years in prison and declared him a sexual predator. He was taken into custody to await the final sentence because the judge thought he was a danger to society. Although I agree he WAS a danger to society, I highly doubt he is now.
I often ask my students if they think all cases can be mediated. It is interesting to hear their responses and their reasons. This inevitably results in a discussion about even if a case CAN be mediated, SHOULD it?
Cosby could have attempted to mediate the plethora of disputes with his accusers but sometimes it is more beneficial to the plaintiff(s) and the community to let a case run its course. Although public policy concerns are often brushed aside in legal cases, sometimes they are the strongest motivation.
By taking this case, and perhaps others, all the way to trial the women involved helped bring awareness to an epidemic that has been uncovered and tagged with the moniker #MeToo.
Had this sexual predator not gone to trial would #MeToo still have come to light, of course. However, every little bit helps and sometimes mediation is not the answer.