Read an actual paper newspaper (they still exist! The idaho Statesman.). The mad stabber in Boise killed at least one of the children. His criminal history is a strong argument for ending plea bargaining and sending bad guys to prison after conviction. If your case is so weak that you need to plea bargain, drop the case. Guaranteed this guy did not vote for Trump. I doubt he even votes, but if he does, it is Democrat.
This is a feature, not a bug, within the so-called "justice" system.
ReplyDeleteThe most recent study by the U.S. Department of Justice shows that 83% of prisoners let out on early release programs were re-arrested within nine years.
44 percent of prisoners were arrested during the first year after release;
68 percent of released prisoners were arrested within three years;
79 percent of released prisoners were arrested within six years;
83 percent of released prisoners were arrested within nine years;
The 401,288 released prisoners were arrested an estimated 2 million times during the nine years after their release, an average of five arrests per released prisoner.
Whenever you hear that a perpetrator has an "extensive criminal history", the first question one should ask is, "what is he doing out of prison".
How about this: Every early release (parole, shortened sentence, etc) granted by a judge is accompanied with this codicil: Any crime(s) committed by the perp after release shall apply the full penalty to both the skell and the judge who granted relief to the sentence.
The practice of early release would dry up in a week.
I don't want to end plea bargaining, but it certainly needs reform. There should be some advantage for a guilty criminal to plead guilty and save the state the expense and risk of a trial--but we also need to make sure that people aren't given the choice of pleading to something trivial, get out now with time served--or stay in jail for a trial that risks decades in prison.
ReplyDeleteI believe England has a system where an early guilty plea results in a significant penalty reduction, with the reduction getting smaller the longer you wait. This seems most fair and less subject to abuse.