Editorial: Kane’s light sentence calls for more accountability

Kathleen Kane, Pennsylvania’s former Attorney General, committed a crime.

She was arrested, tried before a jury of her peers and convicted. And this week, she was sentenced to prison. But justice was not served.

On Monday, Kane was sentenced to 10 to 23 months in jail after she was convicted of two felony counts of perjury and seven charges of lying and abusing her power of office. In August, Kane was charged with illegally leaking records from the grand jury and then lying about it under oath.

Kane could have faced maximum sentence of 12 to 24 years in jail, but instead she received a tiny fraction of that.  

The sentence may seem like a victory for holding corrupt public officials in the state accountable, but the light sentence proves we still have a double standard when it comes to punishing criminals.

Kane rose to political power in 2012 when she became the first female and first Democrat elected as Pennsylvania attorney general. Vowing to shake up the establishment as an outsider, her work in office focused on scandals of retaliation and corruption.

After inheriting an undercover case that found four legislators and a judge accepting illegal gifts, Kane shut the case down, stating it was racially charged and insufficient to prosecute. Later, local prosecutors found evidence of wrongdoing for four of the five the Democratic officials and proved her wrong.

In an attempt to discredit her political opponents, Kane leaked information that belonged to a grand jury investigation to the Philadelphia Daily News regarding Frank G. Fine, a former state prosecutor in charge of the sting case. The illegal leak would ultimately lead to her public downfall and put her behind bars.

Her lawyers argued that her damaged reputation and loss of career was enough punishment for her in their plea for leniency. Everyone convicted of a crime, though, has their reputation damaged.

Given that she received a fraction of the sentence, her plea served more as an apology for her privilege. Those who are convicted of low-level street crime are often punished to longer sentences than Kane’s, with even more to lose than a reputation.

When a person in Pennsylvania charged only with marijuana possession could face a similar sentence, the punishment of her crime seems ludicrous in comparison. Filing a false tax return can result to up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine. A person caught vandalizing could face up to two years in prison if the damage is valued at more than $1,000.

Whether you are a politician, business executive, celebrity or someone of power, the position or name you have should never be an excuse for serving a lighter sentence. A criminal justice system that allows such an inequality to exist fails to properly fulfill its purpose: justice.

Kane got off easy, but we shouldn’t let this go. It should be a call for more accountability.

Justice will not be served until we treat all cases equally, regardless of income, race and gender.