Letters to the Editor: 14 days in prison for Felicity Huffman is no punishment at all

To the editor: Actress Felicity Huffman’s punishment — 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and probation — is an insult to law-abiding people everywhere.

Huffman bought her daughter’s standardized test results hoping they would secure admission to highly selective universities. I highly doubt she feels remorse; more likely, she feels bad after getting caught.

If she truly felt remorse, she would go to the university where her daughter ended up and fund a full scholarship each year for a student who actually earned a spot but cannot afford to pay for school. Heaven knows she can afford it.

Laurie S. Adami, Los Angeles

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To the editor: When I would read about judges ordering 250 hours of community service to people who broke the law, I always thought that the service entailed picking up trash on the freeways, things that the average person would not volunteer to do.

However, now I find that these people end up doing work in churches or homeless shelters.

We have thousands of volunteers in Los Angeles who devote their time and effort helping to make their communities better places to live. What kind of message do the courts send to these volunteers when “community service” is deemed to be a punishment for breaking the law?

Jeff Hershow, Woodland Hills

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To the editor: Fourteen days of prison time, probation, community service and a fine represent a total failure of the judicial system to dispense justice. This “penalty” will not deter other rich parents from acting as Huffman did.

Far from it, it serves as a green light for similar conduct, the price to be paid, if caught, well worth the advancement of a child’s education.

Huffman did not accept responsibility for her actions until she got caught. She would have been totally content living her life knowing she effectively tried to cheat hard-working students out of their rightful admission slots.

I, for one, will express my disdain by never seeing another production in which Huffman appears. I hope others will respond similarly.

Jerry Dworkin, Irvine