A popular bipartisan criminal justice overhaul is currently up in the air in Congress. The overhaul would lead to the early release of thousands of nonviolent offenders. Many influential members of Congress from both the Democratic and Republican parties support the overhaul, but it is still facing opposition. This is because of an event that occurred after the release of Willie Horton on a weekend pass. Shortly after leaving the prison, Horton committed a brutal home invasion and rape that sent him back to prison. Many lawmakers are wary of this overhaul as they do not wish to see a repeat of this event. What do you think of the efforts to promote the overhaul? Should politicians still be cautious or is this the time to act?
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think the efforts to promote this criminal justice overhaul need to be strengthened. Before it can pass, the Democratic and Republican congressmen who oppose the overhaul need to be convinced that criminal justice is something we need to pursue. Willie Horton committed crimes while on release thirty years ago, but since then, there have been advances "in the field of corrections," and now it's time to act. Returning nonviolent offenders to their communities and providing them with jobs would actually lower crime rates.
ReplyDeleteThose opposing this overhaul must realize the issues surrounding our criminal justice system. We cannot afford to hold this enormous amount of nonviolent offenders. Like Julia said, Willie Hortons' actions were committed thirty years ago and we've improved in correctional programs since then. This overhaul must be put into action in order to really start giving more attention to the issues within our criminal justice system regarding nonviolent offenders.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the overhaul, the criminal justice system has long needed reform. I don't think that the Willie Horton example is the best argument against the overhaul, because he was originally sentenced for murder, and the new program is for the release of nonviolent offenders. Yes I think politicians should be cautious but it is also time to act; small steps could be made at first which would lead to the desired overhaul.
ReplyDeleteI think our criminal justice systems needs to be overhauled. Horton is not a good example of this. I think there is a strong case for overhauling the system. For those who oppose it, I do not think it's fair to lock someone up for a nonviolent crime, and then not release them for a crime that they may or may not commit in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most above comments; the overhaul should be promoted. There are several "what ifs" you could consider, but most likely if you release the nonviolent offender, the chance of he or she committing a violent crime is very slim. Willie Horton is a poor example because he WAS imprisoned for a violent crime; we shouldn't base the rest of the incarcerated people off of him.
ReplyDeleteWillie Horton was sentenced for a violent crime, so using his story as a fear tactic is faulty logic. I fully support the reevaluation of sentencing for nonviolent crimes. However, I'm not sure about the claims that our prison system has improved in rehabilitating inmates since Willie Horton; as of now, in the United States, prisons serve to punish first and rehabilitate second. It will be interesting to see how the for-profit prison industry will respond to this overhaul.
ReplyDelete