How many arrests is too many or is this the culture of Chicago? (Justice: hotel, felony)

[lenniel]

Seriously.....60 arrests and the guy is still out walking the streets causing havoc? When does a judge finally say 'enough is enough' and put the guy away for good? You would think that after 20 or 30 arrests that they guy clearly has demonstrated that he has no intention of being a productive member of society.

Is there any connection here between lax sentencing and the way Chicago politics are operated? (or at least 'who' is operating them?)

Suspect in Mag Mile stabbing had 60 arrests, 9 felony convictions - chicagotribune.com

[aragx6]

Absolutely ridiculous. With nine felonies it is insane to me that this guy was out on the streets. Lax sentencing for repeat offenders is a huge issue in my opinion.

[Alacran]

I was there

[emathias]

Seeing as this guy was on parole, I'm not sure lax sentencing is the entire answer - enforcement of existing sentencing seems like a better start.

But the root of it isn't so much sentencing as doing a better job of determining who is a threat to him (or her) self and others. Current attitudes about mental illness doesn't make doing that easy. I don't think all mental illness can be effectively treated, but I think most can be diagnosed.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by emathias

Seeing as this guy was on parole, I'm not sure lax sentencing is the entire answer - enforcement of existing sentencing seems like a better start.

But the root of it isn't so much sentencing as doing a better job of determining who is a threat to him (or her) self and others. Current attitudes about mental illness doesn't make doing that easy. I don't think all mental illness can be effectively treated, but I think most can be diagnosed.

Well that's just parsing, really. It's clearly all a part of the same issue.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Well that's just parsing, really. It's clearly all a part of the same issue.

Not really. Sentencing is usually determined by statute. Parole considerations are usually just policy, which is easier and faster to change.

[Ace Rothstein]

Are these the Chicago values Rahm was talking about?

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[Chicago South Sider]

I guess this is a big deal because it happened to a doctor on the Mag Mile?

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

I guess this is a big deal because it happened to a doctor on the Mag Mile?

Yep, pretty much.


On one hand, it's ridiculous to me (at least on the surface, without knowing the details of his case) that this guy wasn't already locked up. On the other hand, it's also ridiculous that in the U.S. we already have a higher percentage of our population locked up than any other nation in the world. (I expect us to be ahead of Canada, but do we really need to be ahead of Rwanda, Cuba, Iran, and Russia?) I don't know what the answer is, but it's an unfortunate juxtaposition.

[aragx6]

^This an older stat, but generally holds true now:

According to data from the Department of Justice 52.7% of state prison inmates, 73.7% of jail inmates, and 87.6% of federal inmates were imprisoned for offenses which involved neither harm, nor the threat of harm, to a victim

http://www.cjcj.org/files/americas.pdf

That doesn't mean that all of those people shouldn't be in jail, but it's at least the beginning of a serious conversation about how we sentence people in this country.