Simple assault. First offense. No priors. No extenuating circumstances. Victim does not wish to press charges and will be as uncooperative as possible.
There is not a single person in this country who would go to jail under those conditions. Having the charges dropped in exchange for accepting court ordered counseling is very much in line with the exact same treatment you or I would get in an identical situation.
I am talking about the legal process and in the legal process, the actions of the victim have a tremendous bearing.
The victim in this case has done everything she possibly can to absolve Ray Rice from guilt. I sure would be interested in hearing your take on how I am using "exonerated" incorrectly. Here's the dictionary.com definition to help get you started.
ex·on·er·ate
/ɪgˈzɒn
əˌreɪt/ Show IPA
verb (used with object), ex·on·er·at·ed, ex·on·er·at·ing.
1.
to clear, as of an accusation; free from guilt or blame; exculpate: He was exonerated from the accusation of cheating.