March 27, 2007
Mrs. Gregoire gets tough on crime

Mrs. Gregoire has a new policy to get really tough on prematurely-released felons who violate the conditions of their release. And it's not like before. This time she really, really means business:

Under the new policies, community-corrections officers will have specific punishment guidelines for offenders who have violated the terms of their prison release. Those might include an apology letter, a book report and increased support-group meetings for low-risk offenders.
Book reports.

That'll teach 'em.. Especially if they have to write a really hard book report and can't slide by with some girlie-man book report sandwich.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at March 27, 2007 03:45 PM | Email This
Comments
1. Amazing... truly amazing... You know, all my life I was raised to FEAR prison/jail as it was supposed to be a bad thing. Man was *I* lied to! Three hots and a cot, free tv, free healthcare/medical benefits, free education, and all the s*x you can stand. NO WONDER THEY REOFFEND!!!!!

Book reports... an apology letter... Hmm... Maybe for the REALLY REALLY bad ones, they'll have to take the WASL...

NUTS!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Posted by: Paul O' The East on March 27, 2007 03:44 PM
2. If this was April 1st I would smell an April fools joke. You notice that the last thing on the list for the really bad offenders is jail time. Well, seeing that they probably got out of jail becasue there was no room, its difficult to see few if any of then going back in. Meanwhile they are all out there among us ready, willing and able to do us yet more harm while they write their book reports, letters and attend classes.

Posted by: RJK on March 27, 2007 03:56 PM
3. Thank you Mrs. Gregoire for cutting a nice ad for Dino Rossi.

How easy is it to make an ad that says "Dino believes in punishing criminals, Governor Gregoire has suggested the write book reports and apologizing."

Posted by: cliff on March 27, 2007 04:08 PM
4. Thank you Mrs. Gregoire for cutting a nice ad for Dino Rossi.

How easy is it to make an ad that says "Dino believes in punishing criminals, Governor Gregoire has suggested the write book reports and apologizing."

Posted by: cliff on March 27, 2007 04:09 PM
5. The left always seeks to remove the connection between action and consequence. That's part and parcel of the relativism of the left. So it's no surprise that felons are coddled as yet another victim class that's not responsible for their own actions.

I'd have the prisons profitable, and crime rate down in no time if it were my job to run the WA prison system. I'd put all the prisoners to work to pay for their incarceration. Those with good behavior would get good jobs, and those with bad behavior would get the really nasty jobs. It wouldn't take long for word to get out that punishment and prison are no fun, and much harder than living straight.

Posted by: Jeff B. on March 27, 2007 04:16 PM
6. It's a good thing blog comments are typed, because I'm actually speechless.

Posted by: TB on March 27, 2007 05:22 PM
7. The crooks are quaking in their boots about those apology letters and especially the book reports! Watch the recidivism rates drop as we speak! Ooh ahh

Posted by: Michele on March 27, 2007 05:24 PM
8. ..and I think Cliff is exactly right. I think Dino Rossi just decided for sure to run again.

Posted by: Michele on March 27, 2007 05:25 PM
9. ..Why stop there? I just thought of something else along the same vein that Ms. Gregoire could add to the "punishment" list. They could force violators to go up to the chalkboard and write 500 times "I will NOT violate my prison release again...."

Posted by: Michele on March 27, 2007 05:27 PM
10. 500 times? are you kidding? and risk repetitive motion injury?

Posted by: Stefan Sharkansky on March 27, 2007 05:31 PM
11. What I see is a way for Gregoire to make it look like she is doing something with the DOC while in reality giving the WEA more government jobs. After all someone will have to grade these book reports.

Posted by: TrueSoldier on March 27, 2007 05:37 PM
12. Judge: Your sentence is 5-10...PAGES!
Felon: No!!!!!
Judge: Yes! And...let's see...how 'bout..."The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama!!!
Felon: No!!! Why can't we just have one of those Singapore-style cane beatings and call it even?!!
Judge: Quiet, or I'll make it Al Gore's "Earth in the Balance"!!
Felon: Sorry. Sorry. So sorry. Obama is fine. Thank you. Thank you, for your mercy!!!

Posted by: Brian White on March 27, 2007 05:47 PM
13. The prematurely elected address the problem of the prematurely released.

Posted by: Huey on March 27, 2007 06:02 PM
14. I thought the Onion was a parody website...now they will have no material. Wait maybe they will...Onion Headlines next month could be-Criminals Executed for Murder, Thieves Get 10 years, Felonious Government Official gets 20 for Rigging the Vote.

Posted by: Col. Hogan on March 27, 2007 07:51 PM
15. Maybe if it was Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Posted by: JCM on March 27, 2007 08:09 PM
16. Just another chapter from "The Soft on Crime Liberal Handbook"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Norm on March 27, 2007 08:44 PM
17. "Ton Johnson, president of Local 308, Washington Federation of State Employees, the union that represents the state's nearly 800 community-corrections officers, said ...

He also criticized as potentially unsafe a new requirement calling for community-corrections officers to visit the homes of all felons under their supervision."

Funny but community corrections or parole officers should know the potential going into the job. The following was taken verbatim from Qualifications Catalog: Community Corrections issued by Olympia.

"Hazardous setting: Willing and able to work with offenders in a potentially hazardous setting."

If it's "unsafe" as Ton indicates then perhaps those having second thoughts should get jobs as Wal-Mart greeters. Or maybe a little money will embolden those with sweaty palms.

Posted by: Joe Arpaio should head WA Dept of Corrections on March 27, 2007 08:54 PM
18. I have the solution for Shark's fear of repetitive motion injury - Gregoire could make all prisoners state employees and members of the SEIU and therefore able to claim L & I for their carpal tunnel syndrome, on the condition that they vote Democrat!

Posted by: katomar on March 27, 2007 09:13 PM
19. Only folks having to do real jail time will be those evil bar owners that let folks smoke in their establishments or anyone with a car. That's a pure hate crime against humanity.

Posted by: Dengle on March 27, 2007 10:37 PM
20. I'm repeating this, but it was good the first time too.
winning campaign slogan: Democrats are soft on criminals, tough on tobacco companies.

Posted by: PC on March 27, 2007 11:33 PM
21. what next--tickling the perps until they wet their pants? or is that too 'Gitmo?'

criminals and would-be terrorists are busting guts laughing at all of this. not to mention WA's illegal aliens. maybe that's the plan: fighting crime the 'Monty Python Way.' neutralize them through laughter.

not to wish ill on anyone, but wait for the next attack on a high-profile WA legislator, judge or other visible citizen for REAL change to FINALLY come swiftly.

perhaps our law enforcement heroes recently lost were not enough for the message to sink in. (may they all peacefully rest & their families find comfort--we will not forget them)

Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on March 28, 2007 04:42 AM
22. I've heard that it costs us about $300 a day to keep a criminal in jail. I wonder how much of that total is involved in the "3 Hot Meals a day" and all the chefs, cooking staff and fresh high quality vegetables.

My food budget is much less than $10 a day, and I'm not in prison. AND, I'm not complaining. Especially when I treat myself to a Marie Callender's frozen dinner.

How's about we fire the prison cook staff and just feed the inmates Swanson's frozen breakfasts, Campbell's Lunch Mates and Marie Callender's frozen entree's.

They be living like kings. Like me.

Posted by: Bart Cannon on March 28, 2007 05:33 AM
23. It's really difficult to overstate how appalling this is. Amazing. Can you imagine being on the receiving end of an apology letter. Imagine say, your car was stolen by a released felon and that's the punishment.

Posted by: Eric Earling on March 28, 2007 07:27 AM
24. I can see the news report now:

"In King County, another officer was killed today. Apparently the stolen vehicle was driven by an early release felon. It also appears that the felons attention was diverted by the apology letter they were writing for stealing the vehicle".

Posted by: TrueSoldier on March 28, 2007 08:09 AM
25. Where's the usual suspects on this thread to spin this? Cato? Bruce? Surely this must be some kind of right-wing conspiracy to misrepresent Gregroire.

Posted by: Palouse on March 28, 2007 08:51 AM
26. You guys are missing the point.

If you get caught, you have to write an essay.

Most of the criminals never graduated from high school, so we get to teach them how to write all over again.

To bad they still won't be able to pass the WASL after being taught by our school system.

Posted by: Ken on March 28, 2007 10:51 AM
27. will taxpayers have to provide felons with PDA's or computers so that they can e-mail their apologies to us & save paper & mail costs? it's greener. fights global warming too. we can also give them cell phones for text messages to victims. paperwork reduction act.

do perp apologies fall under full govt disclosure exceptions too? this is so that victims can get an "i'm sorry" and have the state also deny a FOIA request so that victim can't read the darn apology!

wow--criminals get to pass Go AND collect $200!

Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on March 28, 2007 11:59 AM
28. Day O' Day O, And what about Harold Clark? he's the great communicator, and perhaps the man in a pocket? or maybe unable to manage change but quick to blame?
And what's that line " Does any one remeber "VERA" Lynn" , in any event what a wicked liberal game they play.

Posted by: buford lovejowel on March 29, 2007 09:15 PM
29. I would support the book report idea, provided they were locked up until they finished their book reports. JCM @15 has one good idea, I'll take it one step further.

The perp must do two book reports. The first on must be on:

"Lawrence of Arabia : the authorized biography of T.E. Lawrence" by Jeremy Wilson.

This is available in the KC Library. It is almost 1,200 pages long, so it would take some time. It would prepare him to do the second book report on:

"The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by T.E. Lawrence, 1922 Oxford Edition.

The book report must be on the 1922 Oxford Edition, not the 1926 edition which is also available in the KC Library.

The 1922 Oxford Edition is not only longer than the 1926 edition, it's also the better edition. Plus it has the added advantage of being, 1) expensive; and 2) extremely difficult to obtain.

If a perp were clever enough to be able to 1) find; 2) purchase; 3) read; 4) understand; and 5) write a book report on it, I would deem him ready for release.

And, no, my copy is not for loan.

Posted by: Obi-Wan on March 31, 2007 02:25 PM
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