State of the State: Gov. Uses Right to Remain Silent on Crime
Governor Evers delivered his State of the State address last week. Though he spoke for more than 45 minutes, his speech was notable for one subject that he avoided entirely - crime. Wisconsin’s crime rate is up 9%, Milwaukee just recorded a record high in homicides, and people don’t feel safe in their communities - yet Governor Evers failed to present a plan to combat crime or even mention the subject. A striking fact is that one in five murder or attempted murder suspects in Milwaukee County was out on bond for another felony. That's why I am co-sponsoring a bail reform that will work to prevent violent offenders from being able to threaten public safety. Wisconsin cannot and should not play catch and release with criminals.
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Time for Some Reform
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
This is one of the great parts of our Constitution. It happened because of the fear and rightly so, of horrendous treatment of those guilty, possibly guilty or determined guilty. The problem is that nowadays, we are so lenient with suspected criminals. We need to be very careful when some judge releases dangerous people, because we have no room, or because they have more compassion for criminals than the average citizen on the street in danger of potential abuse by these criminals.
People who have a track record of dangerous activity, need to be the one who has to sacrifice, rather than the average member of society. Law abiding citizens who are trying to go about their daily routine, paying their bills, taking care of their families and working each day to survive, need to know that, known criminals and unstable people are not loose on the street.
I believe we have overstated the 8th Amendment, we need to make jail/prison less rewarding, let the people there know it is hard and not pleasant, not cruel, but not enjoyable.
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