Hi from out there

[bluelinebill]

Hi
I think that this is a wonderful thing that you are doing here. I have been on the front line for 15 years now and have watched as Charlotte’s crime increases each year.
I have what I think is a solution or at least a start to curbing crime in this city.
Prosecute the misdemeanor offenders and have them serve time. I mean real time in jail or prison. Not time served waiting trial, but the maximum. So many of these suspects in many of the high profile crimes we see here and on the news are repeat offenders. In and out of the justice system from a young age, our community needs to spend the money to hire the prosecutors instead of waiting for the state. Build a bigger Jail. Build a juvenile detention center. Start now the longer we wait the bigger it grows.
Law enforcement arrests people everyday. We have no problem there. The people that are locked up for misdemeanors face no real loss of freedom. Which is why they keep doing it until they shoot or rape someone, commit a robbery. Even then some are let go.
It’s not something that’s unknown, I feel that it needs to be said and often.
Lets all be safe out there.
BluelineB

[mikey]

have them serve time. I mean real time in jail or prison.

I agree but;
Where would you put them?

[vanzant316]

The problem with locking up midemeanants is that the State's criminal statutes and structured sentencing guidelines don't give a whole lot of actual jail time for nisdemeanor offenses. Usualy the longest jail sentence you'll see in a District court is 150 days. Thats not even enough time for them to be transported from jail to a prison.

The key would be to prosecute violent offenders as felons rather than misdemeanants. Why is Carrying a Concealed Weapon a misdemeanor? Why is there a Misdemeanor Assault By Pointing a Gun charge? What about all the different misdemeanor assault and robbery charges out there? It doesn't make much sense to me.

Another thing to look at is the amount of cases that are dismissed or plead down by the DA's office. I know they say they're working on this problem, but there's a long way to go. Most first time offenders who are charged with Armed Robbery end up getting a plea for Common Law Robbery and being placed on probation. Thats like letting the robbers right back out on the street. Having to report to a Probation Officer once a month isn't going to keep them from going out at night and robbing the Burger King.

Anyway, there's a lot of work to be done, and believe it or not.. .it needs to start with the state legislature making some stricter laws for violent and repeat offenders.

[OnCrime]

vanzant316 said:

Anyway, there's a lot of work to be done, and believe it or not.. .it needs to start with the state legislature making some stricter laws for violent and repeat offenders.

Very, very true!!

[bluelinebill]

Well if what I just found out is true, Then in a few hours (again) we will see how someone who gos on and on committing little crimes and is never really punished, ends up doing a big one. At least arrested for it.
01/05/2007