Does anyone really want to go to prison?
Former state Sen. Mike Morgan’s request for leniency wouldn’t pass the laugh test if it came from the average citizen convicted of a serious crime.
Morgan, former president of the state Senate, was charged with taking more than $400,000 in bribes for influencing legislation. He was convicted of accepting a $12,000 bribe; jurors acquitted Morgan of other charges but deadlocked on some felony counts.
One reason cited for requesting probation instead of prison time is that Morgan suffers from “uncontrollable anxiety, depression and an extraordinary elevated blood pressure.” Is there anyone in Oklahoma who would not suffer those symptoms when facing years a prison cell?
Morgan’s request for leniency was echoed by a Who’s Who of Oklahoma politicians. That shouldn’t matter. The baseline for this sentencing decision is simple: How would the courts treat a non-prominent politician convicted of the same crime?
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The answer to the question “How would the courts treat a non-prominent politician convicted of the same crime?” is easy. A non-prominent politician (or citizen, for that matter) would be going to prison.