How do you defend the justice system in a case like this??

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_officers_shot

Summary:

37 year old man is wanted in connection with the murder of four police officers. This man has a lengthy record of violent offenses including the rape of a child and also received a 95 year sentence which was later commuted, allowing him to be released so he could apparently later murder four cops.

Why wasn't this person locked up permanently?

[Greenday]

I don't get why he was let out of jail.

[Nyoibo]

I don't get why he was let out of jail.

Because he was young, so deserved a second chance, and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth and so on.

$0.30 could have solved that problem.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Because they have a really bad habit in this country of letting dangerous criminals out of prison. Regardless of their sentence.

[Greenday]

Let him out of prison, but not that quickly. Wait until he's older.

[XiaoTortuga]

You would have to ask Huckabee why he granted the commutation.
Unfortunately, things like mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug crimes requires other inmates to be released early, and this can often be violent offenders.

But, this seems to be because a governor felt bad because he was sentenced to what amounted to a life term and he was only 17 when the crime was committed.

[Amina516]

Let him out of prison, but not that quickly. Wait until he's older.

No, no, no. A lengthy violent offense rap sheet AND the rape of a child? You get out @ the END of your 95 year sentence, when you're 112.

[Boozy]

But, this seems to be because a governor felt bad because he was sentenced to what amounted to a life term and he was only 17 when the crime was committed.

The worst part is that he might not have been such a bad kid when he started his sentence as a teenager. Maybe he'd just made a mistake. But you put someone in a US prison for over ten years at that age, and it's anyone's guess as to the kind of person that will be released.

[AdminAssistant]

On Sunday, Huckabee issued this statement on his Web site: "Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington state."

No, it was a failure on your part Guv. The Arkansas criminal system threw his ass in jail. You let him out. Go back to Fox News! *sheesh*

I'm pretty willing to bet that somebody lined the good Governor's pocket to secure Clemmons's release. It wasn't "he was so young." After all, it was under his leadership that a new law was passed allowing juveniles of any age to be charged as adults for particular crimes as a response to the Westside shootings.

[XiaoTortuga]

The worst part is that he might not have been such a bad kid when he started his sentence as a teenager. Maybe he'd just made a mistake. But you put someone in a US prison for over ten years at that age, and it's anyone's guess as to the kind of person that will be released.

Which is the whole point of the juvenile justice system; keep the youth offenders there where theoretically efforts are made to rehabilitate, rather than sending them to prison simply for punishment.

The question is why was this kid moved to adult court. He could have an extensive juvie record, multiple aggravating factors, or could be he is black, or whatever. Those factors may have played a role in the decision to commute his sentence. But, the kid never got help. And any problems he had before he went in were most likely exacerbated.

So basically, I agree with you, Boozy. I just am a bit passionate about these issues and like to rant.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

One of my best friends was sexually assaulted in her apartment. She was bludgenoned with a hammer, had her throat cut, and her apartment set on fire (you probably aren't going to believe this, but she survived). The guy that did it was a serial rapist.

He was also....wait for it....fourteen years old.

They let him out of juvie when he was 21. I don't know what became of him. We don't even know his name becuase he was a juvenile.

So he gets out while my friend, thirty years down the line, sees scars of defense wounds inflicted by the claw end of a hammer every time she looks at her own hands.

So how do we defend the system? This is a joke.

[XiaoTortuga]

I do not believe all children can be rehabilitated. And I think there are situations when transfer to adult court is appropriate.

If a juvenile offender can be rehabilitated, in that they can be released and returned to the community where they pose no threat and are law abiding, productive citizens, should we not do that?

What good comes from locking someone away for decades when they could be helped and back in society in a productive fashion?

But, I do think there are flaws in the design of the system (and huge errors in how the system actually works). A ten year old cannot (most times by law and also because of factors) be charged as an adult. So, a ten year old that commits horrible crimes and will be a danger to society because it is not possible to be rehabilitated can only be held until they are 21-25 years old. After than, they have to be released. Seriously mentally deranged young adults let loose on society because the juvie system cannot have any say over them.

Best we can hope for is the next victim is not too badly hurt and we can then lock them up in adult jails.

And I'm very sorry for your friend. I can't imagine the amount of strength and courage it has taken her to survive.

[Greenday]

No, no, no. A lengthy violent offense rap sheet AND the rape of a child? You get out @ the END of your 95 year sentence, when you're 112.

Most criminals when they are released much later in life, don't recommit crimes when they get out. They lost so much of their life that they just want to enjoy whatever life they have left.

[XiaoTortuga]

In doing some reading on the issue I came across this long article about another person released from prison.
http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/Art...0-b5dab8559419


Aside from the manipulation of a supposedly independent panel, the fact that the governor did not seem to know anything about the case and made this happen...

Really sheds light on how faulty the system is.

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

You would have to ask Huckabee why he granted the commutation.
Unfortunately, things like mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug crimes requires other inmates to be released early, and this can often be violent offenders.

But, this seems to be because a governor felt bad because he was sentenced to what amounted to a life term and he was only 17 when the crime was committed.

A 17 year old is not just a kid, a 17 year old knows the difference between right and wrong. He might have only been 17, but that's no excuse for his actions. A 17 year old has the mental capacity to know that murder, rape and other violent acts are wrong. If they commit said acts, they should be punished accordingly.