[CaptainCrunch]

This is always a searing and tough debate, because you have to balance the key concepts of justice and rehabilitation with closure for the victims.

I have no problem with looking at the whole rehab issue on non violent crimes, I have no problem with looking at the compassionate side of a crime of passion where its unlikely that the person who committed the crime is ever going to do anything like that again.

Where it breaks down for me is when people do intentionally violent crimes. I have a lot of trouble with thinking that pedophiles are deserving of our sympathy. Or the guy that shoots up a crowd during a drive by, or the person that breaks into someones house and smashes up the place terrifies its owners and maybe kills one so that he can secure money to by crack or cystal meth, or heroin. Because we are suppossed to be rational beings who have the higher brain functions to make choices and go against instinct. But if thats not the case, and that person cannot make that choice between right and wrong, then to me its unlikely that the person is not going to re-offend again.

Let me put this as plainly as I can. I think there has to be a differentiation between intentionally violent crimes, and non violent crimes.

I see no problems in the case of violent crimes that the accussed should have to prove that they're not a flight risk and that they're not going to re-offend while out on bail. The bottom line is that some point that descretion is the better part of valor in these cases.

I also have no problems with longer sentences for people that are willing to pick up a gun or a knife and to use those weapons which have no other use but killing. Make them earn thier parole, and lets make sure that they're not going out on the streets again unless we're sure that they're not going to re-offend. While we talk about freedom in our society as a right, we have to enforce that to some extent in the case of crime its not an absolute right, and your going to lose something precious if your going to kill, or harm a innocent.

I also think that parole has to be more stringent, both in the granting of and retaining of, parole shouldn't be a given, you should have to admit to the crime, you have to show remorse, and you have to have done some activity that proves that your not going to re-offend. I have no problems with locking up a person for 25 years or longer if I'm not totally and completely sure that they're not cured of that compulsion to commit a violent criminal act.

You also have to look at the victims whether they're living or dead. How many times have we seen victims that live in fear of the criminal getting out, how many times have we seen a criminal that gets out and re-offends. Where's the closure of the victims, what about the right to see the criminal getting punished?

Offer education in prison, and theorapy and rehab. Teach them a skill, but don't slap them on the wrist in some display of supporting thier rights, especially when they didn't care about the rights of thier victims.