Prosecutors propose prolonged punishment

According to this story in the Muskegon Chronicle, West Michigan prosecutors are coming out of the woodwork to loudly oppose Governor Granholm's proposal to release thousands of non-violent offenders from state prisons, saving the state $262 million dollars in 6 years:

Gov. Jennifer Granholm and legislative leaders asked the Council of State Governments to review Michigan's criminal justice system and recommend cost savings. Those savings could be realized by reducing Michigan's prison population from nearly 48,500 inmates down to around 43,500, the report said.

Suggested legislation endorsed by key Republican and Democratic lawmakers would require the release of inmates who have served 120 percent of their minimum sentence, unless the parole board determines they pose a "very high risk" of committing new crimes.

The new law would not apply to current inmates nor to felons serving a maximum term of life for offenses including murder, rape, kidnapping, armed robbery or carjacking.

In other words, the worst offenders would stay behind bars where they should be and only a small amount (5,000 out of 48,500) would be eligible for early release. Mostly, the prosecutors just want to sound tough so they win their next election and don't really seem to mind that Michigan is once again facing a budget shortfall that could wipe out the types of programs that are built to actually prevent crime. In fact, the plan actually beefs up those programs. According to the Freep article on the study:

Also included in the group’s potential remedies are beefed-up law enforcement and crime lab capabilities, and increased training and job placement for offenders and disconnected young people.

So, now we get the hysterical prison industrial complex saying that the "early" release (even though they will have served 120% of the minimum sentence) of these prisoners will jeopardize public safety and those same people will offer no remedies in fixing the state budget or the economy other than casting blame at the people who have in fact been making the tough decisions. The answer to public safety isn't to lock everyone up. The answer to patching yet another budget hole isn't passing tax cuts and building more prisons. The answer isn't to listen to a bunch of politicians who can make a name for themselves by sounding tough and taking the easy path to popularity. We need adults who can quit grandstanding and picking on society's bogeyman to pad their resumés and win reelection.

This all reminds me of a quote from the quotable H.L. Mencken:

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."

All-inclusive invocation

I just talked to someone tonight who still had their Christmas tree up and since this is my first post of the new year I guess I can't make fun of the Hastings Banner for still having it's Seasons Greetings header up on their web site. I didn't even realize their web site was up and running! So, here all of this time I could have been link blogging to the paper of record for Barry County and I didn't realize it. According to the Banner, it's seems the first order of business of the new Barry County Board wasn't to deal with public health and safety, it was to tend to their spiritual needs.

Having an invocation at future meetings was part of the discussion during the reorganizational session. Newly elected County Commissioner Mike Bremer brought up the subject, asking board members whether they wanted to have an invocation at future meetings. Bremer read a sample invocation to the board. Callton said to include an invocation during a meeting does not require a vote by the commissioners. Callton said he will include an invocation, after the pledge of allegiance, on the next meeting agenda and will give Bremer the opportunity to give the invocation.

Perhaps, Mr. Bremer's request to say grace before meetings was sincere but I seem to remember the last time that sticky wicket reared it's ugly head, a former commissioner threw it out at a meeting in the midst of a political campaign to try to separate himself from an opponent he was trying to paint as too liberal. When this stuff comes up, even if it's brought up in a sincere, humble and tolerant way, it almost always gets used eventually by those who simply need a cheap and easy way to gain re-election. Let's hope this isn't the case no matter what the intent.

This year is full of challenges in West Michigan and across the country. Let's not get distracted by fights over who's invisible friend is stronger than who's when there is more serious work to attend to.