Arrests, judges and justice
Today's stories on a crime meeting in Charles Village in the wake of the fatal stabbing of Johns Hopkins researcher Stephen Pitcairn and the Crime Beat column on yet another lenient sentence, this time for a man convicted of robbing a woman at knife-point at an ATM, prompted this response from a retired Baltimore police commander:
I read your article with great interest, as I did the companion article concerning the "Heated Meeting" on crime! As a retired Major who has commanded three Police Districts; the Central; the "Great" Eastern; and the Southern, I have first-hand experience concerning the frustrations covered in those articles! I have attended such heated meetings, and I have experienced the frustration of the citizens, as they vented those concerns!
I too, have shared the frustration of the officer who sees known violators, many of whom have displayed violent tendencies, "on the street", when they should be incarcerated. While I was a Sergeant and Lieutenant in the Districts, whenever we experienced a spate of "new" crime, the "good police officers", would immediately check to see if any of the known actors had been recently released from incarceration! In too many cases, these "recidivists" were the "new" problem!
In spite of all of the criticism of the Police, and "yes", I admit that in some cases it is justified, the fact of the matter is this: the Police are, by far, the most-productive arm of the Criminal Justice (Non)System! The proof is highly evident, unarguably, and indicting of the rest of "The System!" Our Corrections Institutions are filled, to over-population, with "convicted" criminals, so much so that our judges must decide who they will release, to make room for new occupants!
That Incarcerated Population is a result of Police making arrests, and making good cases in support of those arrests! The jails can't hold them, the State's Attorney's are overwhelmed so much by their [Police Generated] case loads, that they are "dealing away" good cases! Similarly, the judges also are overwhelmed! The Police have literally buried the system!
I cringe when I hear Police Officers apologize to the Community for not being able to protect them! The apologies should be coming from those judges and attorney's! Pete, did you know that "The Court" has ruled that the Police have no obligation to protect individual citizens? That is also a fact! And that, in my opinion, is enough to support defense of the Second Amendment Right to Keep and to Bear Arms! The Court has more or less said that citizens are on their own, that their police have no obligation to be their personal body guards!
My two-cents worth!
Robert Di Stefano
Major (retired) Baltimore City PD
Abingdon, MD
Categories: Confronting crime, Neighborhoods, Top brass
Comments
Major Di Stefano draws a red circle around the fact that there aren't enough prison beds in Maryland for all the men (and some women--Lavelva Merritt, for instance)who belong there. After 20 years of managing inmates in MD DOC, I feel strongly that every governor since Harry Hughes is to blame for not building enough prisons. I know this is considered a reactionary opinion, but I challenge anyone to show me "what works" to keep criminals from finding new victims, other than being deprived of their opportunities by being locked up. The fact is that no one really knows how to turn criminals around. In my experience, men slow down when they grow older and don't get to see their children. Those who believe in rehabilitation will say that most inmates are coming home, so we have to get them ready. I don't disagree. My point is that no one really knows what will keep them from coming back to prison. Meanwhile, if we keep a large enough proportion of convicted criminals off the street at any given time, we will take a huge bite out of crime. Maryland prisons now house about 22,000 men and women. I would double that number. Hey, Peter, when you get the chance, why don't you put Lords Ehrlich and O'Malley on the spot about our prison capacity?
Posted by: Hal Riedl | August 8, 2010 11:53 AM
"I challenge anyone to show me "what works" to keep criminals from finding new victims, other than being deprived of their opportunities by being locked up."
http://www.nnscommunities.org/
Posted by: gibb | August 9, 2010 9:12 AM
It would be great if the Sun could devote some of its limited resources to investigate the problems referred to in Major Di Stefano's letter.
Are there too many criminals? If so, then perhaps we need more jail cells.
Are too many jail cells being taken up by non-violent offenders, who could perhaps serve time at home (under house arrest) to free up space for violent offenders?
Are the judges lenient in their sentences because of over-crowding, or are they ideologically opposed to making convicts serve a lot of jail time?
Are plea bargains cut because of lack of evidence, or are they an expeditious way to get a known offender behind bars?
In this election year, it's important for voters to have good information about this important problem so that they can voice their concerns to the candidates and demand possible solutions to this "catch-and-release" issue.
Posted by: Justice For Whom? | August 9, 2010 10:57 AM
Peter,
I appreciated the comprehensive scope of your article about David L. France. I like the cop's comment about demanding "truth in sentencing."
What I don't understand is what propels judges - specifically Judge Howard - to suspend 80%-90% of a criminal's sentence. Even if the conviction were from a plea bargain, is a suspension of the sentence part of that bargain? If not, then it demands explanation.
Are there resources that provide information about the sentencing practices of Maryland judges? How about info regarding Maryland's prison population?
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