Are judges the only ones that understand this connection?

This from today's Austin American Statesman news wire:

Thursday, June 18, 2009
AUSTIN
Firing at cop gets man 30 years
A judge on Wednesday sentenced Jerel Lamar to 30 years in prison for firing a shotgun at an Austin police officer in 2007.
A Travis County jury in April convicted Lamar, 25, of attempted capital murder in the April 22, 2007, shootout with then-Austin police Cpl. Michael Barger, who is now a sergeant. Lamar waived sentencing by jury.
Barger was not injured, but a shotgun slug lodged in the door of his patrol car that he was using as cover.
Lamar's family members testified during the trial that Lamar was distraught before the confrontation and had told them that he wanted to die. His brother testified that Lamar also said he wanted to kill innocent people, including children, in a shooting spree that rivaled the Virginia Tech massacre.
District Judge Jon Wisser noted that Lamar's father had about 20 children with different women and his mother had been married five times when Lamar was a child, none of the marriages lasting more than three years.
"I don't see any possibility of rehabilitation," Wisser said. "The court is mostly concerned about public safety."