Talk about chickens coming home to roost.
Many state courts have imposed voter-approved lengthy mandatory sentences on all convicted criminals without adequate resources to incarcerate them.
Ergo: Overcrowded jails and prisons that spawn riots and successful lawsuits leading to judicial mandates for mass releases and paroles on constitutional grounds.
Thousands of unrehabilitated felons now return prematurely to society and promptly resume lives of crime.
All because voters, upset with repeat offenders and light punishments, took away sentencing options for judges.
Taxpayers then robbed basic human services to provide some of the extra funding for jails and prisons—or, in most cases, failed to provide any extra revenues at all.
It’s way past time for judges once again to have the sole responsibility to tailor punishments to fit the crimes and circumstances. (16 AUGUST 2009)
