art credit: uclu.org
Paul Mirengoff at PowerLineblog was considering the case of
the dud bomber – what was this guy doing out on the streets and not in jail for
priors.
Inevitably, Democrats and their
partners in the mainstream media want to focus on the political leanings of the
man suspected of sending packages to leading leftists. However, Daniel
Horowitz contends that the real story here is “jailbreak,” i.e., the
failure to put criminals behind bars and keep them there.
I agree that this is a key element
of the story. The suspect apparently has a lengthy
rap sheet that included dealing drugs, theft, traffic violations, and
battery. A close analysis of his record will likely show he should have been in
jail.
This is a recurring but almost
always ignored phenomenon. In one high-profile
case after another,
we learn that the criminal is a chronic
offender with a rap
sheet that, in a properly functioning society, would have mandated his
incarceration at the time of his latest offense.
Yet, Democrats and too many
Republicans, including some in the White House, are dead set on increasing the
number of convicted felons, including dealers of drugs like fentanyl, on the
streets. They want shorter sentences for such offenders and they want them
released from jail early — an obvious recipe for more
crime faster.
In short, the bipartisan
leniency-for-felons crowd seeks to make our under-incarceration problem worse,
even though doing so can only increase the occurrence of crime, including
violent crime. The consequences of this perverse policy are there for all to
see, but the leniency crowd averts its eyes.
This line of reasoning also relates to Ohio Issue #1, on the
ballot in just over a week. Issue #1 would reduce penalties for drug offenses.
An earlier CTP blog quoted Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor’s
views on Issue 1. Click here.
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