Four Violent Crimes: You Decide the Sentence

On the surface, I'm inclined to recommend the release of all four of the men from the four case studies referenced ... but ... the kicker is what happens to the four men if released. Simply releasing them into a society that will not or cannot offer them reasonable employment and a shot at a decent future of some kind invites recidivism.

Some of the reasons I'm glad I'm not a judge, each case is different and catch all solutions for specified sentences isn't always the best call. There is a lot more to look at here and this information doesn't tell us how each of the four has reacted to their punishment. I would agree often prison is a place they learn new methods of committing crimes. To go completely unpunished or have very light sentences isn't an answer either. One of those cases it sounds questionable if the person involved was even involved or only one felon that was involved said He was. I have no way of knowing but I doubt the other participant would not of known if He had a role or not. There is no question about bad judgement being used and the defendants themselves admitted as much. There needs to be a plan in place for some sort of future once outside for any that are released to help insure they at least have a chance of success and not having to return to the prison system. If that fails and they violate parole well then its back to prison for both the violation and any new crimes they may have been convicted of.

Interesting article from the NYTimes. Although I do agree there are some examples of harsh sentencing across the country, not just for Blacks, but across the board. Do we need to look at the totality of the circumstances of a case, YES, does it mean the courts made a mistake, NO.

In theory, all cases should be looked at again after a particular amount of time, and the totality of the circumstances, before, during and after should all be taken into consideration. If someone was 18 when they were involved in a violent crime, leading to death or serious bodily injury, there is no doubt you need to go to prison. Look, you do the crime better enjoy the time! But....all of us were kids one time, shocking, and made mistakes. Should we be punished for life for those mistakes? I don't believe we should. If we have made extreme efforts to show the courts we have learned from those mistakes, grew into a functioning citizen, another look at the sentence should be done. How long should that be....give that to the people who make the laws.

I find the hardest people to deal with on the job is with Blacks. Not all, but most. The respect for everyone in the course of my shift plays out from my military experience when we were all one race, "green". I don't take my job to the extremes unless it is warranted, but I can tell you some Black people push the limits-unlike any other race. Sure I get it-"police target blacks and minorities" so of course they should feel threatened when stopped by the police-NOT THE CASE if there is no reason for concern.

The cases mentioned in this article do need to be looked at again to see where each person has either chose to change their ways or not. If they have changed, the courts should allow a review at 25-30 years of age and go from there.

This won't stop the cause though...We as a country need to go further to catch those kids before a .45 cal handgun is given to them to commit a robbery, and before a rival gang is a rival. Easier said then done you're right! But it isn't impossible. I don't like handcuffing a kid and taking them to jail, but it's part of my job. I hope the best for each of those kids and want to see a change in their lifestyle. They deserve a second chance! Some even a third and fourth....but when do we stop giving chances? All four cases could easily have been answered if they addressed the prior contacts with each person, previous arrests, school history, gang ties, what was said by suspects during the incidents, and if they werecaught right away or days later hiding. A couple cases did explain some of those, but not enough to give a good response.

I'm all for reform if that's what's needed...we just can't allow those who take advantage of the system to become stronger than the forces used to enforce the system and I see that taking place. Take California's Prop 47 and 57 for example.

https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_47,_Reduced_Penalties_for_Some_Crimes_Initiative_(2014)

https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_57,_Parole_for_Non-Violent_Criminals_and_Juvenile_Court_Trial_Requirements_(2016)

Overwhelmingly passed by voters....but look at the offenses. Similar to the cases discussed here. Like I mentioned before, reform is needed, but so is the ass whoopins parents used to give to their kids when things were done wrong. We should look at that as well-the parents are at fault for some of this nonsense. Speaking of these cases, these poor kids didn't have a right or wrong model to look at, and that is the hardest thing to change. Enough Faron me.