The freedom to steal act?

Today's Star Tribune had an article with the unfortunate subtitle of The Freedom to Steal Act. Senator Mee Moua, DFL-St. Paul, is proposing that it is time to start talking about a realistic approach to criminal justice. Some, including the reporters for the Strib, seem to think this is funny. They suggest that criminals will adapt to the new legislation and modify their modus operandi such that they will get off with less punishment for the same crime that the current legislation had so far deterred them from committing. Really?! My Criminal Law professor pointed out to a class of lawyer-wannabe's that virtually no one knew the penalty for speeding at more than 15 miles over the speed limit. Everyone in class, however, agreed that they automatically slowed down at the sight of a State Trooper or police vehicle. The point is that those who are planning on violating the law rarely change their behavior by thinking of how much time they will do; rather, they modify their behavior according to the likelihood of being caught. Continuing to ramp up penalties does not deter crime. If it did, wouldn't our prison population be lower instead of growing at an unprecedented rate?

It is time to talk seriously about how we deal with offenders. (See also this article from the New York Times: Albany Reaches Deal to Repeal ’70s Drug Laws) It is also time to start looking at reinstating the Parole Board in Minnesota. It is time to return to the rehabilitation philosophy and turn away from the vengeance mode of the last several decades. We can no longer afford to lose our young people to mandatory sentencing with no plan of what to do with felons released from prison at an arbitrary time with no regard to what they are to do when released. A judge could review the facts of each case before sentencing and impose a fair sentence instead of a mandatory one. A Parole Board could effectively and efficiently review each case upon the petition of the offender. If that offender has reformed, learned a trade, has a support system and likelihood of gainful employment upon release, why not gain a productive tax-paying citizen instead of continuing to pay taxes to keep him locked up for nothing more than vengeance?

MSNBC appreciation of my photography!

The Editors at MSNBC.com have selected this picture I took on Lake Superior's North Shore as an "Editor's Pick" in their First Person display of Fall Foliage. We spent a long October weekend in Grand Marais, MN, and thoroughly enjoyed the colors along the North Shore, particulary at the mouths of the Cascade and Temperance Rivers. Even though these spots are right on Highway 61, they appear to be very insulated from civilization. A truly beautiful part of the state.

MSNBC.com has notified me that they have selected one of my photos as an "Editor's Pick" in the First Person report of "Gorgeous Fall Foliage." This is the one they selected: