This is extraordinarily unacceptable:

SANTA FE (AP) – Two Santa Fe men who were deemed most responsible for the beatings of two gay men have been sentenced to 90 days in jail and an additional year of house arrest that includes weekends in jail.

Isaia Medina, 20, and Gabriel Maturin, 21, each could have faced seven years in prison.

In imposing the sentences Firday, state District Judge Michael Vigil told them they would be ruined if he sent them to prison.

And what of the victims?

Maestas spent eight days in a coma after the February 2005 attack and had to learn to walk and talk again. Stockham was punched once in the face.

I see how that works.  You can put someone into a coma and cause sufficient harm so that they actually have to learn to walk all over again, but justice doesn’t want to ruin your life by putting you in jail.  This judge apparently believes ruining one life through hatred and violence isn’t worthy of true justice through the forfeiture of freedom.  And to think I considered that to be justice in such cases.