Crime is always an issue that is of great concern to most citizens. What is your assessment of current efforts to combat crime, and are there laws or policies that you’d change? Gov. Patrick is currently reviewing the state’s criminal sentencing regulations. Do you think that mandatory minimum sentences are a good idea? Would you revamp the CORI check system or do you feel it is fine as it is? Do we need to overhaul the procedures regarding jury duty? Massachusetts has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. Are you an advocate of gun control or do you think every citizen has the right to carry a weapon? Would you vote for or against restoring the death penalty for capital crimes in this state?
Sunday, August 12, 2007
The Hubster Forum: Week #3
Crime is always an issue that is of great concern to most citizens. What is your assessment of current efforts to combat crime, and are there laws or policies that you’d change? Gov. Patrick is currently reviewing the state’s criminal sentencing regulations. Do you think that mandatory minimum sentences are a good idea? Would you revamp the CORI check system or do you feel it is fine as it is? Do we need to overhaul the procedures regarding jury duty? Massachusetts has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. Are you an advocate of gun control or do you think every citizen has the right to carry a weapon? Would you vote for or against restoring the death penalty for capital crimes in this state?
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11 comments:
I am committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe. In my experience working with the East Boston Collaborative and as the Organizing Director in City Councilor Felix Arroyo’s office, I built community alliances necessary to keeping our neighborhoods safe. I organized meetings with every police captain in Boston and the Police Commissioner, in an effort to help them relate more effectively with the city’s youth. I know that if we work with local police and community groups we can lower violent crime and help prevent crime by keeping young people engaged.
I would like to see an increase to the number of “beat” cops in East Boston. We need officers walking the streets, engaging residents and businesses and cracking down on the small crimes that threaten the quality of life in our community. I also support an increase in funding for after school programs and jobs for teenagers. Our young people have too much unsupervised time on their hands and need positive role models to keep them away from gangs and drugs. Engaging the youth in productive and safe activities is an important element to combating crime.
I do not support mandatory minimum sentencing. Our goals should be to get people exiting the criminal justice system to a place where they can lead productive lives outside of jail and reduce recidivism. It’s important to allow judges discretion for drug treatment and treatment for mental illnesses. We must provide job training so that people are able to find work after completing their sentences.
I support CORI reform because currently people who have completed their sentences are struggling to find jobs, housing and opportunities for educational advancement making it more likely for them to commit crimes. Many of these people are non-violent offenders so it’s important we make sure that after they’ve done their time they’re able to lead productive lives.
The right to trial by jury is essential to our justice system. We need to do a more effective job of summoning jurors and keeping track of them as they move to ensure that we have juries made up of people from our own community.
Strong gun laws help to keep our children and communities safe. However there is more we can do to ensure the safety of our loved ones. I support additional measures to track guns and solve gun crimes, particularly as we combat this wave of gun violence in Boston. I support a ban on high power assault weapons, a one handgun per month limit on gun sales and a requirement for gun dealers or manufacturers provide police with sample bullets/cartridges or digital images of bullets/cartridges prior to the sale.
I oppose the death penalty.
Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to discuss this important issue. I hope that I can count on your vote on September 25.
Gloribell Mota
Candidate for State Representative
but WHY do you oppose the death penalty??
I agree. I would like to see officers walking around and catching samll crimes before they turn into big ones.
RE: "WHY do you oppose the death penalty??"
Why does it matter? Whether she opposes the death penalty for religious, other ethical or economic reasons, the fact remains, she opposes the death penalty. Opposition to the death penalty is generally not a "fact-based" position. It's a "values-based" position and I appreciate that Mota told us her view on this matter.
I agree that it's legitimate to ask why a candidate holds a position, but I disagree that opposition to capital punishment cannot be "fact-based."
Fact: The death penalty is not a deterrent.
Fact: The death penalty cannot be undone once it is carried out.
Fact: DNA testing has revealed that quite a few people on death row were innocent.
Fact: Defendants with means are much less likely to be executed than those who are poor.
Your facts are on point, but they point to a very important value: means do not justify ends. For some people, particularly those who strongly believe in a retributive rather than restorative criminal justice system, it is the ends that are more important.
People who believe in capital punishment would likely rebut your facts this way:
1. The death penalty is not used often enough or made public enough to be an effective deterrent. If we could go back to public hangings, then it would work.
2. That it can't be undone is exactly why it could work as a deterrent if it was used more effectively.
3. Technology today should reduce the number of innocent people who are on death row. The problem is not the death penalty, it's the process that puts them there.
4. Again, the problem is the process. Regardless of whether they are rich or poor, if they committed the crime, they should do the time.
My point is that the facts that you use or choose to pay attention to are those that are consistent with values that you hold and your view of the world. Take the conversation on crime in your other posting. Despite being presented with crime statistics, at least one commenter refuses to see anything other than a crime ridden East Boston. The facts don't support that person's view of the neighborhood so he/she ignores it.
I agree that there is little empirical support for the death penalty when we are forced to justify it in a rational discussion. But we shouldn't pretend that what we think is rational or fact-based is somehow value-free. Values, norms and beliefs are the filters that we use to interpret "facts". And the collection of facts is driven by what we think is important to pay attention to.
To begin, please accept my apology for being late in posting these comments. All the candidates have much to attend to and there is a limited time in which to handle all the details. A special election campaign schedule presents unique challenges, but I do appreciate The Hubster Forum as an important vehicle for residents, voters and candidates to dialogue about what matters to Eastie neighbors. I’m glad to see such spirited civic debate.
I do not think enough is being done to combat crime, not just in East Boston or Massachusetts, but in the nation generally. Ubiquitous graffiti is indicative of an underlying disregard for a society rooted in law and order. Armed and unarmed robberies, rapes, assaults, and murders don’t seem to abate appreciably, regardless of whatever statistics are touted by government entities to allay the fears of citizens. There is a palpable sense that citizens have reached a breaking point for tolerating lawlessness and are poised to revolt in outrage over what some perceive to be a downward spiral in our quality of life. The reasons some turn to crime are myriad: poverty, youthful impulsiveness, pathological disorders, gang recruitment, or organized criminal behavior. Still, society has a right to expect that public safety systems stay vigilant in ferreting out the criminal among us and bring them to justice.
To address criminal activity, I want to see judges mete out sentences that truly reflect appropriate punishments that fit the crimes. I, like many, am tired of reading about offenders who warrant substantial jail sentences, but are given lenient sentences by presiding justices. We need deterrents to crime and hefty sentences would send a message to the criminals among us that they will be held accountable for their crimes. I teach my children that there will always be a consequence for their actions, positive or negative, but our liberal judges often fail to relay that message to criminals and to society. Therefore, I would support mandatory sentencing simply to lessen the degree of discretion that judges can exercise.
Many of the candidate questionnaires I have received have asked my opinion on the subject of illegal or undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. This forum is about crime and I believe that those who come to our country without following immigration procedures are engaging in criminal activity. To repeat, our society is rooted in law and order. We cannot afford to support an influx of illegal immigrants who come here blatantly ignoring that basic tenet. I support any law enforcement attempt to bring those individuals to justice, including the raid such as was conducted in New Bedford. It is a consequence of their personal actions that parents were separated from their children. I believe that the state police should have statutory authority to arrest, detain and help deport those found to be here illegally. If companies and large corporations in the United States would end the practice of relying on illegal labor, we would get back to a manageable immigration system. The granting of citizenship to children born here, but who are the offspring of illegal immigrants, must stop. It is time for state legislatures to enact statutes that address the criminality of illegal immigrants -- especially since the federal government can’t, or won’t, address the problem. As a strong believer in states’ rights, I applaud any attempt to force this criminal activity to be resolved.
I think the CORI system is a necessary tool for citizens who want to know which criminals live, work or socialize among us. It is necessary in order to achieve accountability and transparency about criminal behaviors that threaten our quality of life. When applied to prospective teachers, camp counselors, physicians, public safety personnel or military personnel, CORI affords society a vetting process that historically was lacking before CORI’s inception. I think it is working now as it was intended to do and we should continue to rely upon its usefulness.
Our jury system works as designed, at least when citizens acknowledge its importance and abide by the requirement to serve when called. It is when some people ignore that obligation that the system becomes stressed for lack of participants. Sanctioning those who fail to report for jury duty would send a signal that accountability will be demanded of us all. Our entire judicial system is predicated upon the principal of a jury by one’s peers. We have to protect the viability of that principal.
I have never owned a gun, nor do I foresee my wanting to own a firearm. That being said, I am in favor of the strictness of Massachusetts gun laws. They provide a buffer between impulse buying of dangerous weapons and a waiting period to investigate an individual’s background. If the process determines an individual’s competency to own the firearm, I have no problem with the issuance of a license. I would caution, though, that those charged with investigatory powers, such as police chiefs, should never engage in an authoritarian process. Abuse of discretionary powers is tantamount to criminal activity and should never be condoned.
Until recently, I have always been a supporter of the death penalty for the most heinous and egregious capital crimes. It was a visceral response on my part to want to see convicted murderers receive death sentences for their crimes. Before “life without parole” for murder, some convicted murderers served a portion of their sentences, often receiving an education at taxpayers’ expense while incarcerated, and then were paroled back to society. For me, that always seemed disrespectful to the deceased and to their families. However, with the advent of DNA testing, and improved techniques for that testing, many convicted murderers have been able to prove their innocence. What if they had been executed and the evidence to clear them was found later? Recently, the cases of Peter Limone, Joseph Salvati, Louis Greco, and Henry Tameleo served to highlight why the death penalty should not be restored here in Massachusetts. Those four men were framed for a murder they did not commit, framed by our own government. They all served many years in prison, two even dying while incarcerated, before evidence proved their innocence. How sad it would have been if Massachusetts had had the death penalty at the time of their trials. It would have been doubly horrific if the government that falsely accused them was also the agent of execution of those four innocent men. Therefore, absent an irrefutable way to prevent all procedural mistakes in these cases, I would have to argue for life sentences for murder, but not for the death penalty.
Thank you.
"Armed and unarmed robberies, rapes, assaults, and murders don’t seem to abate appreciably, regardless of whatever statistics are touted by government entities to allay the fears of citizens."
Berninger seems to be saying, "Don't confuse me with the facts. My mind is made up!"
Does the last poster even know what the word "appreciably" means? All the statistics in the world mean nothing if citizens still perceive there to be an unsafe environment for families. Especially if some of the incidents go unreported and never are included in the "statistics" or "facts" as promoted by government.
Anonymous wanted facts, so I've posted my letter to the Boston Globe regarding rapes in our neighborhood. I would hope that no one would be comfortable with a rape count of eighteen or twelve in our community. I, for one, won't be comfortable until the number is zero.
August 22, 2007
Letters to the Editor
Boston Globe
P.O. Box 55819
Boston, Massachusetts 02205-5819
Re: “Woman raped in East Boston, police say” and “Dozens more officers to walk beats” (August 22, 2007)
Dear Sir or Madam,
Crime statistics from the city that point to “six fewer (rapes) than during the same period last year” in East Boston demonstrate the need for continued crime fighting efforts, especially since the city also reports that twelve rapes or attempted rapes have occurred this year.
Eighteen rapes are too many, twelve rapes are too many and one rape would be too many for East Boston, or any community, to have to endure. Residents cannot become complacent about fighting crime simply because reported rapes have gone down in any given period. What about assaults that go unreported? Are they less egregious crimes? Can the Boston Police Department give us real numbers of women who do not want to document attacks, but who have been attacked, nonetheless?
Police efforts to enforce anti-graffiti laws, frequent surveillance by officers in cruisers in each section of the neighborhood, strengthened efforts to rid East Boston of criminal gangs and better code enforcement of licensing requirements for restaurants, bars and clubs have already signaled to East Boston that public safety officials are prepared to help residents improve their quality of life. Added foot patrols by police officers will go far toward achieving a sense of security in our neighborhood, where the common goal is to preserve the family-centered community that is East Boston.
I want to thank Commissioner Davis for his renewed commitment to my neighborhood.
Sincerely,
Mary Berninger
Candidate for State Representative
There is quite a lot of incidents of rape that go unreported. In fact, the overwhelming majority of those unreported rapes occur when the perpetrator and victim know each other. Other research has found that the rapes that are reported are disproportionately those in which the perpetrator is a stranger.
While rape is a serious offense that deserves as much attention as possible, there is a danger of focusing too much on one type of rape case and ignoring the majority of rape cases, those that occur between intimates.
I want all of our residents to be able to walk home late at night without getting assaulted. However, most rape occurs between people who know each other in the privacy of people's homes. This is not a situation that is as amenable to more beat cops and foot patrols. Those might, hopefully, reduce the incidence of stranger rape, but it will not significantly impact the overall incidence of rape (reported and unreported) because most rapes occur between acquaintances.
I personally believe that to call for zero rape is a nice tag line but ultimately it is a vacuous statement. That's like saying you'd like world peace. I don't want to hear that you want zero rape in our neighborhood. I want to know what policies you will support that will discourage sexual assault between intimates, encourage women and men who are raped to come forward, and to protect and support the women and men who do come forward in these instances.
Perhaps you should talk with the community police officers at A-7 for ideas.
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