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January 05, 2009
PA: Rendell Wants No Parole for People Convicted of Repeated Violent Crimes
Rendell Wants No Parole For Repeat Violent Offenders
Last Edited: Sunday, 04 Jan 2009
Governor Ed Rendell
PHILADELPHIA -- Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has put forth his first order of business for 2009. He wants to get rid of parole for repeat violent offenders.
"In 2008, four Pennsylvanians were brutally murdered by men who had served state time for violent crimes and were out on parole at the time," said Governor Rendell. "These murders cry out for changes in how we sentence our violent repeat offenders."
Currently, in the state of Pennsylvania, offenders are given indeterminate sentences, requiring a minimum and maximum time to be served. Gov. Rendell proposes that any adult or juvenile convicted of a violent crime with a deadly weapon would be unable to get out on parole. He has told the General Assembly to start working on this legislation.
He cited the case of Daniel Giddings, accused of shooting and killing Philadelphia Police Sgt. Patrick McDonald. Giddings had been out on parole.
"Howard Cain, Levon Warner, and Eric Floyd, all on parole...shot and killed Sgt. Steven Liczbinski," said Gov. Rendell.
The sentencing guidelines for crimes wouldn't change but judges would give offenders a sentence that would be served fully, no time off for good behavior. He says most repeat violent offenders have learned "to game the system," entering programs in prison to help them get out at the earliest possible time.
The prison system, already overcrowded, may see an increase due to the legislation, but Rendell says non-violent offenders would be fast tracked out of the state prison system. He says he believes the state prisons are for violent offenders. He says the state is also working on building additional prisons.
"Nobody, myself included, will tell you that just locking people up solves the problem, but it does buy us some valuable time. Instead of one of these offenders being in prison for four years, if they can be in prison for nine years, that's five years more of safety for the citizens of Pennsylvania," said Rendell.
The legislature is scheduled to reconvene in a week and Rendell hopes they will take up the matter immediately.
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Posted by lois at January 5, 2009 09:27 AM