under someone's thumb

Scott Brown, Couch's lead defense attorney, said the teenager could have been freed after two years if he had drawn the 20-year sentence. Instead, the judge "fashioned a sentence that could have him under the thumb of the justice system for the next 10 years," he told the Star-Telegram.

under someone's thumb
Fig. under someone's control and management.

affliction  

af·flic·tion /əˈflɪkʃən/ n [U and C] formal
something that causes pain or suffering, especially a medical condition