The fight against an unpardonably inadequate criminal justice system continues with a group known as the "Three Strikes Now" coalition. This group, headed by State Senator Sam Caligiuri and Dr. William Petit wants to see Connecticut put violent criminals away for good.It was the home invasion against Petit and his family by two parolees in the summer of 2007 that brought grotesque failures of the criminal justice system to light. Since then, legislative Democrats have voted four different times to oppose a three strikes law that would mandate someone convicted of rape or murder would get life in jail and no hope of parole.
Caligiuri and Petit appeared with Rep. Al Adinolfi in Cheshire yesterday, as Adinolfi signed a pledge put forth by "Three Strikes Now." Both Caligiuri and Adinolfi have fought for this law over the past year and a half and will continue to do so.
The coalition pledge has 52 signatures on it. While the coalition is non-partisan and pledges support to any candidate who supports "Three Strikes" there are very few Democrats who have the courage or sense to do so. Absent is Adinolfi's Democratic challenger, Elizabeth Esty, who can't bring herself to promise to support a bill that would require someone who kills three times to have to stay in jail.
She, like Democratic Judiciary Committee chairs Rep. Michael Lawlor and Sen. Andrew McDonald, offers eggheaded excuses about prison overcrowding and not fiddling with judicial discretion, which has worked really well when you have a three-time killer in front of a judge again.
There are clearly some candidates who don't have the strength of will to be able to draw any moral line in the sand whatsoever. If you want to see whether the candidates in your district are strong on crime, or are apologist pinheads, check out the "Three Strikes Now Coalition" website here and see if they have signed the pledge. If not, you should ask them why.
3 comments:
The Judicial System is UNjust and biased. When a citizen is charged with a crime they are INNOCENT until proven guilty: Prosecutors do not work for Justice per Statue; rather, they work for conviction and PRESS for plea bargains to avoid trial. Public Defenders do NOT have the experience or the investigative team, time and money to DEFEND the INNOCENT as effectively as a FEE Based Attorney. The economically disadvantaged and "targeted citizens" (minorities, whistle blowers, activists, advocates, etc) cannot get JUSTICE.
Well... I suppose that I would have to agree with you. Rich murderers like OJ Simpson can get a pass, while poor murderers like Michael Ross end up sucking the pipe.
I am an equal opportunity reformer... I would like all murderers to at least get life in prison... though my personal preference would be a hanging followed by a gibbeting of the body.
Big business and Politics are running our courts striping away the working person's Civil Rights and making a mockery out of Labor Laws; i.e. Ledbetter vs Goodyear.
"We" have become " the have not's" living and working for "the have's" who lie, cheat and steal our livelihoods and destroy our family units. I'm for WAR against these PIGS
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