Judge Jan Jurden Sentences du Pont Heir, Robert H. Richards IV, Probation for Raping His 3 Year Old Daughter Because ‘He Would Not Fare Well’ in Prison

WTF … who cares whether this child rapist would fare well in prison or not!!! How could anyone call this Justice?

Judge Jan Jurden, a Superior Court judge needs to be thrown off the bench after her insane sentencing decision for a child rapist. Judge Jurdan unbelievably sentenced Robert H. Richards IV to probation for the rape and molestation of his then 3 year old daughter stating, he “will not fare well” in prison. WHAT!!! Prison is not meant to be nice, it is meant to be a punishment and to keep predators away from society. However, this misguided judge actually said that prison life would adversely affect Richards. What about the adverse affect that his daughter faces thanks to his rape? So what was the “unique circumstances” that the judge made her decision, his wealth?

Robert H. Richards IV

A Superior Court judge who sentenced an heir to the du Pont fortune to probation for raping his 3-year-old daughter wrote in her order that he “will not fare well” in prison and suggested that he needed treatment instead of time behind bars, according to Delaware Online.

Court records show that in Judge Jan Jurden’s sentencing order for Robert H. Richards IV she considered unique circumstances when deciding his punishment for fourth-degree rape. Her observation that prison life would adversely affect Richards confused several criminal justice authorities in Delaware, who said that her view that treatment was a better idea than prison is typically used when sentencing drug addicts, not child rapists.

Jurden gave Richards, who had no previous criminal record, an eight-year prison term, but suspended all the prison time for probation.

According to the following site, Judge Jurden’s present term ends May 29, 2013. Not soon enough!!!

UPDATE I: Judge said du Pont heir ‘will not fare well’ in prison.

O’Neill said he and his deputies have often argued that a defendant was too ill or frail for prison, but he has never seen a judge cite it as a “reason not to send someone to jail.”

Richards was no frail defendant, court records show, listing him at 6 feet, 4 inches tall and between 250 and 276 pounds. Nor do court records cite any physical illnesses.

O’Neill said the way the Richards case was handled might cause the public to be skeptical about “how a person with great wealth may be treated by the system.”

Jurden, who has been a judge since 2001, and Superior Court President James T. Vaughn Jr. did not respond to questions last week about the case.

UPDATE II: Du Pont heir accused of raping 2nd child in lawsuit.

A du Pont family heir who raped his 3-year-old daughter nearly a decade ago but received no prison time now faces a lawsuit from his former wife that accuses him of sexually abusing his toddler son.

Robert H. Richards IV, 47, who is supported by a trust fund and who paid $1.8 million for his 5,800-square-foot mansion near Winterthur Museum, pleaded guilty in 2008 to fourth-degree rape of his daughter. Currently on probation, he has never been charged with crimes against his son.