Superior court judges can still be creative
Defendant’s sentence – learn English, get a job
By Lisa P. Stites
Staff Writer

Court sentences for felonies can involve active jail time or supervised probation, certain conditions designed to prevent drug abuse, and even required English classes.

In Brunswick County Superior Court last month judge Ola Lewis ordered Francisco Villa to take English classes as part of his sentence after being convicted of felony possession of marijuana. Villa was also ordered to pay court costs, attorney fees and interpreter fees. And he was required to get a job.

“To me, it’s no different than ordering GED classes or parenting classes,� judge Lewis said.

One of a judge’s goals is rehabilitation, Lewis said, and sentencing can include “whatever can assist that person who has been convicted of a crime to better themselves.�

Felonies and all misdemeanors, with the exception of driving while impaired charges, come under the structured sentencing laws of North Carolina.

Prescribed sentences with minimum and maximum jail terms apply for each offense. A defendant’s prior record affects a sentence, and prior convictions can mean the defendant will be sentenced at a higher level.

Mitigating factors, like a defendant’s age or restitution being paid before court, can also affect sentencing.

While structured sentencing has tied judges’ hands a bit, Lewis said, when there’s room for creative sentencing she tries to add conditions to a sentence that she feels apply. She will typically order mental health help or life skills training when needed, require a defendant to pay child support through work release or make an adult living at home with parents become “financially savvy� and pay towards living expenses.

Lewis recalled one time when she was still on the district court bench, presiding over a hearing in juvenile court. A mother was concerned about her daughter’s promiscuity and her cavalier attitude about the chances of pregnancy. Besides preaching abstinence, Lewis said she ordered the girl to prepare a report on the cost of raising a child from birth through paying for the child’s wedding.

“She came back with a big notebook and said she changed her mind,� Lewis said.

But now, requiring English classes for Spanish-speaking defendants could become the norm.

It’s an excellent suggestion, according to Fernando Trulin, Hispanic and Latino programs coordinator with the Brunswick Education Transition Center.

“I see nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, I applaud the action of the judge because that’s very positive,� Trulin said of this particular court order.

Trulin said that as people immigrate to the United States from Spanish-speaking countries, they need to learn the native language of their new home.
“That’s the way we have to communicate. Even though we have to keep our culture, we keep that in our home and with our friends. To conduct business, we have to speak the language of the country,� he said.

The center offers nighttime English as a Second Language (ESL) classes that won’t interfere with daytime employment. Classes are free of charge, as the center receives some funding for materials through an agreement between Brunswick Community College and the Mexican government.

In Trulin’s experience, children seem to pick up the language more quickly than adults, and may be able to understand English fairly well in about six months to a year.

Adults may take up to two years to learn the language. But one problem Tulin says is often found is that immigrants can’t read and write in their native Spanish. Volunteers with the program, sometimes themselves looking to practice their Spanish, help teach reading and writing in Spanish before teaching English, Trulin said.

“We need to teach them to read in the mother tongue. That has been helping the ESL program better,� he said.

Lewis praised the community college’s efforts in working with the Hispanic community.

“We all make up Brunswick County, no matter what you feel about folks being here and what they have to offer,� she said.

Ordering English class can be a way to help someone become a law-abiding citizen, she added.

“What we as a society want is for everyone to be productive,� Lewis added.
Superior court judges can still be creative
Defendant’s sentence – learn English, get a job
By Lisa P. Stites
Staff Writer

Court sentences for felonies can involve active jail time or supervised probation, certain conditions designed to prevent drug abuse, and even required English classes.

In Brunswick County Superior Court last month judge Ola Lewis ordered Francisco Villa to take English classes as part of his sentence after being convicted of felony possession of marijuana. Villa was also ordered to pay court costs, attorney fees and interpreter fees. And he was required to get a job.

“To me, it’s no different than ordering GED classes or parenting classes,� judge Lewis said.

One of a judge’s goals is rehabilitation, Lewis said, and sentencing can include “whatever can assist that person who has been convicted of a crime to better themselves.�

Felonies and all misdemeanors, with the exception of driving while impaired charges, come under the structured sentencing laws of North Carolina.

Prescribed sentences with minimum and maximum jail terms apply for each offense. A defendant’s prior record affects a sentence, and prior convictions can mean the defendant will be sentenced at a higher level.

Mitigating factors, like a defendant’s age or restitution being paid before court, can also affect sentencing.

While structured sentencing has tied judges’ hands a bit, Lewis said, when there’s room for creative sentencing she tries to add conditions to a sentence that she feels apply. She will typically order mental health help or life skills training when needed, require a defendant to pay child support through work release or make an adult living at home with parents become “financially savvy� and pay towards living expenses.

Lewis recalled one time when she was still on the district court bench, presiding over a hearing in juvenile court. A mother was concerned about her daughter’s promiscuity and her cavalier attitude about the chances of pregnancy. Besides preaching abstinence, Lewis said she ordered the girl to prepare a report on the cost of raising a child from birth through paying for the child’s wedding.

“She came back with a big notebook and said she changed her mind,� Lewis said.

But now, requiring English classes for Spanish-speaking defendants could become the norm.

It’s an excellent suggestion, according to Fernando Trulin, Hispanic and Latino programs coordinator with the Brunswick Education Transition Center.

“I see nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, I applaud the action of the judge because that’s very positive,� Trulin said of this particular court order.

Trulin said that as people immigrate to the United States from Spanish-speaking countries, they need to learn the native language of their new home.
“That’s the way we have to communicate. Even though we have to keep our culture, we keep that in our home and with our friends. To conduct business, we have to speak the language of the country,� he said.

The center offers nighttime English as a Second Language (ESL) classes that won’t interfere with daytime employment. Classes are free of charge, as the center receives some funding for materials through an agreement between Brunswick Community College and the Mexican government.

In Trulin’s experience, children seem to pick up the language more quickly than adults, and may be able to understand English fairly well in about six months to a year.

Adults may take up to two years to learn the language. But one problem Tulin says is often found is that immigrants can’t read and write in their native Spanish. Volunteers with the program, sometimes themselves looking to practice their Spanish, help teach reading and writing in Spanish before teaching English, Trulin said.

“We need to teach them to read in the mother tongue. That has been helping the ESL program better,� he said.

Lewis praised the community college’s efforts in working with the Hispanic community.

“We all make up Brunswick County, no matter what you feel about folks being here and what they have to offer,� she said.

Ordering English class can be a way to help someone become a law-abiding citizen, she added.

“What we as a society want is for everyone to be productive,� Lewis added.
Superior court judges can still be creative
Defendant’s sentence – learn English, get a job
By Lisa P. Stites
Staff Writer

Court sentences for felonies can involve active jail time or supervised probation, certain conditions designed to prevent drug abuse, and even required English classes.

In Brunswick County Superior Court last month judge Ola Lewis ordered Francisco Villa to take English classes as part of his sentence after being convicted of felony possession of marijuana. Villa was also ordered to pay court costs, attorney fees and interpreter fees. And he was required to get a job.

“To me, it’s no different than ordering GED classes or parenting classes,� judge Lewis said.

One of a judge’s goals is rehabilitation, Lewis said, and sentencing can include “whatever can assist that person who has been convicted of a crime to better themselves.�

Felonies and all misdemeanors, with the exception of driving while impaired charges, come under the structured sentencing laws of North Carolina.

Prescribed sentences with minimum and maximum jail terms apply for each offense. A defendant’s prior record affects a sentence, and prior convictions can mean the defendant will be sentenced at a higher level.

Mitigating factors, like a defendant’s age or restitution being paid before court, can also affect sentencing.

While structured sentencing has tied judges’ hands a bit, Lewis said, when there’s room for creative sentencing she tries to add conditions to a sentence that she feels apply. She will typically order mental health help or life skills training when needed, require a defendant to pay child support through work release or make an adult living at home with parents become “financially savvy� and pay towards living expenses.

Lewis recalled one time when she was still on the district court bench, presiding over a hearing in juvenile court. A mother was concerned about her daughter’s promiscuity and her cavalier attitude about the chances of pregnancy. Besides preaching abstinence, Lewis said she ordered the girl to prepare a report on the cost of raising a child from birth through paying for the child’s wedding.

“She came back with a big notebook and said she changed her mind,� Lewis said.

But now, requiring English classes for Spanish-speaking defendants could become the norm.

It’s an excellent suggestion, according to Fernando Trulin, Hispanic and Latino programs coordinator with the Brunswick Education Transition Center.

“I see nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, I applaud the action of the judge because that’s very positive,� Trulin said of this particular court order.

Trulin said that as people immigrate to the United States from Spanish-speaking countries, they need to learn the native language of their new home.
“That’s the way we have to communicate. Even though we have to keep our culture, we keep that in our home and with our friends. To conduct business, we have to speak the language of the country,� he said.

The center offers nighttime English as a Second Language (ESL) classes that won’t interfere with daytime employment. Classes are free of charge, as the center receives some funding for materials through an agreement between Brunswick Community College and the Mexican government.

In Trulin’s experience, children seem to pick up the language more quickly than adults, and may be able to understand English fairly well in about six months to a year.

Adults may take up to two years to learn the language. But one problem Tulin says is often found is that immigrants can’t read and write in their native Spanish. Volunteers with the program, sometimes themselves looking to practice their Spanish, help teach reading and writing in Spanish before teaching English, Trulin said.

“We need to teach them to read in the mother tongue. That has been helping the ESL program better,� he said.

Lewis praised the community college’s efforts in working with the Hispanic community.

“We all make up Brunswick County, no matter what you feel about folks being here and what they have to offer,� she said.

Ordering English class can be a way to help someone become a law-abiding citizen, she added.

“What we as a society want is for everyone to be productive,� Lewis added.
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