From FOX News: “Judge Sentences Three Men to Learn English or Go to Jail.” Really? Tell me more:

A judge known for creative sentencing has ordered three Spanish-speaking men to learn English or go to jail.

The men, who faced prison for criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, can remain on parole if they learn to read and write English, earn their GEDs and get full-time jobs, Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. said.

The men, Luis Reyes, Ricardo Dominguez and Rafael Guzman-Mateo, plus a fourth defendant, Kelvin Reyes-Rosario, all needed translators when they pleaded guilty Tuesday.

“Do you think we are going to supply you with a translator all of your life?” the judge asked them.

Attorneys for the men said they were studying the legality of the ruling and had not decided whether to appeal. One of the attorneys, Ferris Webby, suggested that the ruling was good for his client, Guzman-Mateo.

“My client is happy,” Webby said. “I think it’s going to help him.”

Time-out. Are these men here legally or illegally? From the article, I got the vibe that the “Spanish-speaking men” are, indeed, illegal immigrants. If that’s the case, I don’t agree with the judge’s sentence. They should be deported.

But if the men are legal immigrants, then I like the judge’s sentence, and would like to see other judges follow a similar path. Let’s stop the “revolving door” before it starts.

By the way, this applies only to criminals facing minor, non-violent beefs — like conspiracy to commit robbery — and should not be applied to criminals who may pose a threat to society.