Course often means overlooked

Bureau Libertarian Writers'
1-812-372-1663

My favorite story was the child of a herd of hippos n'seek play hide and seek. The best place baby hippopotamus was hidden on a ledge above - thoughin plain view - the elders of the herd, he never found the baby because theynever looked up. Obvious means are often overlooked.

And so it is with prison overcrowding in the City Circle. County jails lack of space for everyone who was arrested. Last year there were nearly 2,000 emergency exits to make room.

Led by a group of mostly Republicans, including Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi and Superior Court Judges Cale Bradford and William Young, there 'sa move to significantly expand the budget of criminal justice, county, build another plant prison, expand or build a new youth center, elect more judges, and - if they get their way - to build a new criminal justice
center with a capacity to turn even more suspicion on the prospects of government.

Prospects can make more and herd, the taxpayers will give them more money.

Who looked Brizzi, Bradford or young recently on television Indianapolis knows how insensitive to the accused. Young, who chairs the county drug court, said the defendants are from 'a pool of mud. "By his account, he has personally published at least six people and killed others.

Presiding Superior Court Judge Bradford chaired the Marion County Criminal Justice Planning Council, which includes the mayor, Bart Peterson Brizzi. The Council is preparing a list of expensive criminal justice submit to the City-Province. In its January meeting, Bradford noted that most new plant in the county jail, built in 1997 to manage the
main prison overcrowding, was overcrowded.

This new situation reveals the obvious, which again will not be discussed at the next meeting of the Planning Council - a new prison is not the solution for the final attack of prison overcrowding. As experience shows, a new prison is only a standing invitation for politicians and judges to fill it.

Money is not the solution, either. Since 2001, the county criminal justice budget has almost single-handedly is responsible for 40 percent of county huge budget increase, from $ 126 million to $ 176,000,000.

The people in charge overlook the obvious answer to prison overcrowding and the backlog of office: quit arresting so many people!

Back to do essential work of government to protect us from real criminals - people who steal our cars, break into our homes, defraud us, or are violent - not only our neighbors immoral that offend us with their small
needs and habits.

And quit herding people who are not real criminals through our criminal justice system - that is for real criminals. Then, these people who have damaged others can keep their jobs, support their families, contribute to the economy and pay taxes instead of forcing taxpayers to pay for unnecessary food, accommodation and supervision prison.

This will leave space to separate violent and rogue who can not live socially with the rest of us. This is not the point of our criminal justice system?

If Indianapolis is true that national statistics, we spend about half of our criminal justice resources, instead of fighting the vice of crime. The distinction between vices and crimes is essential. Law scholar Sir William Blackstone wrote, 'In all cases, the crime includes an injury. "

Indiana Indiana Constitution grants powers to the courts based on such damage or injury. 'All courts are open, and every person, for injury done him in his person, property or reputation, shall have remedy by course prescribed by law. "(Article 1, paragraph 12)

This does not grant courts authority to punish those who simply offends us. Article 1, Section 37 of the Constitution forbids government to deprive people of freedom "otherwise than for the punishment of crimes." (See also Article 1, paragraph 13 and 19.) If Brizzi, Bradford and Young applied this simple agreement, prison overcrowding probably vanishovernight.

Every time we waste our resources, police, prosecuting and imprisoning potheads and prostitutes, then car thieves, robbers or murderers are free. In addition, there are about with the Constitution.

Why is it so difficult to understand or discuss? Why are the elders of our herd that overlooks the practice, the constitutional and moral character that is so absolutely obvious?