Regarding Julie Muhlstein’s Jan. 27 column, “Anti-bullying bill would head off violence”:
Though the anti-bully bill did not pass last year there are plenty of laws against rape and assault on the books already. The problem is that they are not being enforced as evidenced by the recent case where a convicted felon, who was sentence to life in prison under the three strikes law, was released from prison by the state Court of Appeals because his trial started two days after the deadline. We all know the outcome of this debacle on the part of the prosecution was that the felon went out and committed rape again. This time, in the process of running from the police, he crashed into another vehicle, killing a law-abiding young man.
Rather than passing new laws, we need to address the problems of enforcing the ones we have. We have a court and a prison system which is so overloaded that prisoners are given light sentences, have charges plea bargained down or are let go before they have served their sentences. We are told that this is done in order to handle the caseload and make room for incoming prisoners.
The citizens of the state have to share part of the blame for the overcrowding because we either do not want to pay for new prisons or do not want them built in our area. We need to look at repealing ridiculous laws or laws against victimless crimes or sentencing the people convicted of them to community service rather than to jail terms. Adding additional laws to the books does nothing to solve the situation. In fact, it only complicates matters.
Under the present legal system it is impossible for a citizen to go through the day without breaking some laws, which causes the public to lose respect for law.
Everett
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