Message from Carl
6/1/2006
We all see the signs of increased crime in our neighborhoods and on our streets. Jail overcrowding has made it so that criminals arrested in the morning are home before the officers who arrested them have finished their shifts. Last week, I proposed a three-part initiative that would help keep dangerous criminals behind bars and would help prevent the unnecessary release of potentially violent offenders.
My proposal creates the County Law Enforcement Action Network & United Partnership or CLEAN UP, which links law enforcement officials from Marion County to those in surrounding counties. Together, we will find a way to utilize vacant jail space in other counties or in the Department of Corrections to house Marion County inmates who otherwise would be released due to overcrowding.
The proposal also calls on the General Assembly to pass a Violent Offender Registry, which would model the current Sex Offender Registry. It also advocates for the passage of a “Truth in Sentencing” law, which requires violent criminals to serve at least 85% of their sentence. Currently, these criminals often serve only 50% or less of their sentence.
These are not fix-all solutions, but jump-starts to the serious discussions that we must have about our governmental commitment to public safety.
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