New Haven Independent

Posted by: cedarhillresident | December 18, 2007 9:12 AM

I am sorry......I agree with the more ways of helping criminals reform...but I AGREE with the parole ban! Parole is for first time offenders. It has become a get out of jail free card...that every one seems to have a copy of! Sentences in general have been cut down dramatically and on top of that you have parole for repeat offenders! I it is these get out of jail free attitudes that have made career criminals not fear the law. I have my reasons for feeling this way, and UNTIL you are in that position you will NEVER understand what an injustice is being done to the VICTIMS of the criminals!!! Are you fighting for them???!!!! Are you marching for them!!! NO

Posted by: bjfair | December 18, 2007 11:11 AM

When I advocate I do so for thousands (maybe even millions) who have unjustly and unfairly entered the criminal injustice system. Through my own children's experiences (and many others) I became aware of the unfairness and hypocrisy of the system. It proclaims to be about justice and "correcting behavior" when in reality it does far more harm than good. Caging and mistreating people for years and then releasing them to our community endangers our communities. Building more prisons and keeping them caged for longer periods of time is not the solution. It's not what victims should be advocating for. We shoud be advocating for humanity, restorative justice and equlaity under the law. Another huge thing that I learned is that "the state" for which the system hinges upon doesn't care about many of us. It doesn't care about the offender and it doesn't care about the victims unless the two are from a certain segment of our society. This system has become a huge multi billion dollar industry built and maintained on the backs of the poor, uneducated,and sick in our society. It is a system designed to pit us against each other so we never get a glimpse of our common enemy.I struggle against inequity wherever I see it, in education, housing,criminal justice, prisons, healthcare, juvenile justice, child welfare, employment and recreational opportunities for our children because I am able to see the big picture. Once I got beyond my own selfish needs I began to see how I could help others and that's what I do and I don't apologize for it.I decided a long time ago to be a part of the solution instead of sustaining the problem. I want my life to mean something. I want a child (every child) to know that I cared enough about them to try to build a better world for them; something much better than what they have faced in the past and a whole lot better than what they face today. I work toward giving those children who society has neglected and rejected a sense of hope and well being.I want them to know their value. I find that helping others actually helps me to heal my own personal pain. I won't begin to tell others what to do with the life that has been endowed to them by Our Creator and I won't apologize for what I do with mine.

Posted by: Sally Joughin | December 18, 2007 11:50 AM

If CEDARHILLRESIDENT (and other people) understood what parole is, they would probably not want a ban. Anyone who is eligible for parole is going to return to our communities. Parolees are still serving their sentence, but they are completing their prison time under supervision in the community. It is certainly NOT a "get out of jail free" card. The Commissioner of Dept. of Correction has stated many times that parole is usually a better idea than just releasing people at end of sentence with no supervision. Parole has nothing to do with length of sentence, which is assigned by the court. The Parole Board's job is to study each individual's case and what they have done while incarcerated and decide if supervision in the community is or is not the right thing for that person. The point of protesting the parole ban is that people who are deemed eligible for parole should not be penalized for what two parolees did in Cheshire. Many many people have successfully finished parole and this process should continue. If reforms are needed somewhere in the system, make them. And taxpayer money should be spent, not on harsher punishments or new prisons, but on programs and services in the community to prevent crimes from happening in the first place. That will make us all safer.

Posted by: robn | December 18, 2007 9:57 PM

Hey! I have an idea to prevent jail overcrowding!!!

How about we stop busting people for pot. The only thing that qualifies pot as a so called "gateway" drug is that it opens the door to assault on snack foods. Save the jail space for sociopaths like the Cheshire murderers.

Posted by: Ned | December 19, 2007 8:32 AM

The "drug war" apparently just provides a steady stream of "product" to the criminal justice/police/prison/private security industry. The U.S. is now even outsourcing it's wars with mercenary companies that are also used against U.S. citizens: http://military.einnews.com/category/private-security-contractors . U.S.A. we're number one! (in incarceration). How many children of the elite and well connected go to jail on drug charges vs. poor and working class kids? Some people are seemingly incorrigible; however, if possible, people released from prison need to be incorporated into civil society, otherwise they might as well be locked up for life. Being an honest person, in this town, seems to be a suckers game.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | December 19, 2007 10:27 AM

Sally
so your saying the man that MURDERED my mother, that did only a YEAR because of this screwed up system and a good lawyer, that knew how to manipulate it, earned the right to early release??