PAY ATTENTION :
Of course, the average person is completely unaware that :
prosecutors are NOT ALLOWED to directly communicate with the defendant
Prosecutors are NOT ALLOWED to directly "negotiate" with the defendant
they will NOT "work out a deal" with any defendant
they are only allowed to deal with the defendant's ATTORNEY
Of course, the district attorney prosecutors know the defense attorneys
They go eat lunch together everyday
They know each other's children's names and spouses' names
They go to cookouts together on the 4th of July
They know each other professionally and personally
The defendant is an OUTSIDER
Especially in Ashley's case, she is seen as an unstable undesirable outsider, not part of the community
AGAIN : the district attorneys office is NOT ALLOWED to directly communicate with the defendant!!!
They are NOT allowed to plea Bargains or reduced sentences or probation directly to the defendant
With such a large caseload, most cases get settled in bulk, quite often during lunch when the prosecutors and defense attorneys go to the same restaurants near the courthouse everyday.
The prosecutors know and trust the court appointed attorneys opinions
So Ashley's case would have been decided over lunch, in a brief and casual discussion where Ashley's court-appointed attorney would explain that Ashley had taken steps to get her shit together before the trial
Her court appointed attorney would have been able to quickly mention Ashley going to a psychiatrist, applying for SSI, and becoming accountable, setting life goals and trying to get her act together
He could recommend probation, and the prosecutor would likely take his advice
Her case would have been settled in a cafeteria over fried chicken and mashed potatoes with sweet tea
ASHLEY REFUSED A COURT-APPOINTED ATTORNEY
1 : they only offer court appointed attorneys toIndigentdefendants
2 : the fact that they offered her a court appointed attorney proves they are completely aware Ashley has no job or money
3 : when they offered her an attorney, they were actually offering PROBATION
4 : Ashley demonstrated her defiant Outsider delusional status by refusing the court appointed attorney, and insisting she wanted to represent herself in a criminal trial
5 : the court frowns on defendants who insist they want to act as their own attorney in a criminal trial
6 : it never ends well when a defendant thinks they can suddenly become a lawyer, and represent themselves in court, like some kind of bad made for TV movie
7 : by refusing a court appointed attorney, Ashley unwittingly and defiantly REFUSED PROBATION
8 : by refusing probation, she left the court with no choice but a sentence of jail time
9 : by the time Ashley walks into the courtroom on September 13th, they will already have made their decision regarding her punishment... the 'trial' is merely a formality, a procedural process involving paperwork
10 : even in the courtroom, the district attorney it's not allowed to negotiate or offer plea bargains or probation.. they are going to recommend 12 months in jail, and the judge will follow their recommendation