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Criminal Justice Issues
Posted on October 23, 2006 by Moderator
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I am concerned about the growth in our jail and prison populations. Is seems to me that we still operate under the assumption that if we establish blame, and send the offender off to jail, we teach them a lesson, they become more responsible citizens and don't reoffend. IT'S NOT WORKING! I would like each of the candidates to address this issue. What can we do that reduces the numbers of people that we send off and that still keeps our communities safe? (Submitted by Phyllis Boernke)
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Candidate Responses
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Criminal Justice issues
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I am very concerned about our burgeoning prison population. Ten years ago our prison population numbered a little over 1900 men and women and today we have over 3,400 men and women in jail/prison in SD. According to DOC stats, 38% are in for violent crimes of which rape and assault are the main ones and 14% of the prison population is in for possession of a controlled substance. Besides being very costly, it is a tragedy in human terms and it doesn't work. Jails and prisons are horrible places which only create more suffering by treating people as if they are less than human. We should look at other ways to handle drug and alcohol offenses. Yes, we want these people off the roads and we also want them rehabilitated so they can be living with their families and in our communities. These people are our brothers and sisters however you want to view it and isolating them does not solve the problem. So one of the first things I would do is to enlist community groups to do community sentencing circles with drug and alcohol offenders along with community based treatment. People who abuse drugs/alcohol need treatment, not incarceration. And we also need to involve our community and the families in making these decisions; a family conferencing circle is one way to address this with all members of the family and the offender and people from the community, an employer, a neighbor, the victim and their families all being part of the sentencing. This allows a consequence that all have a say in especially the offender. THis may take longer, although I doubt it since many of these people are in jail or prison for 6 months to a year. It involves the community, the people hurt, and the offender in real and viable solutions that can never come about by sitting in prison. Engaging people in alternatives instead of punishing them has lasting value to changing lives. Restorative practices such as family conferencing, victim impact panels, victim offender mediation, and alternative sentencing along with treatment are ways these problems can be addressed. It also draws more people who have been harmed by crimes or addictions into closer contact with the community.
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Posted By Suzan Nolan on October 24, 2006 21:56
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Bi-partisan Support
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I believe that this year we will see a bipartisan effort to take a look at the efficacy of our current prison system. There are many valid reasons to examine our current system and citizens have the right and duty to question how their tax dollars are being spent. Legislators can and should look at what is the most effectively way to ensure public safety.
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Posted By Pam Hemmingsen on October 26, 2006 9:45
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