East Bay mother devastated after son's teen killer strikes plea deal, lowering sentence

ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Alameda County prosecutors have informed a San Leandro mother that the teenage gang member who shot and killed her son in January will be back on the streets in as little as four years.

She contacted ABC7 News to find out why the 17-year-old gunman was not being tried as an adult for the murder. In addition to the mother and several sources inside the district attorney's office, we were able to speak with a witness who was in the parked car, just inches away, when Lamar Converse died.

Kasandra Riley described her son, 35-year-old Lamar Converse, as "a loving person" who "would give you the shirt off his back."

She lost Lamar the night of Jan. 30. She even heard the gunfire a little over a block away, and since then, she's been afraid to leave her home.

Riley: "All the time. I actually went to the nail shop down the street and had to call somebody to pick me up because I was nervous. I was scared."

That Monday night just before 11, Lamar asked his friend to give him a ride to meet a young woman who wanted to buy two ounces of marijuana. The driver met ABC7 News I-Team reporter Dan Noyes at the scene and told him from behind the wheel of his car, "So, I pull on this side, the girl walks from the corner and Lamar roll down his window. He's talking to her about the transaction of the weed."

Sources inside the DA's Office verified his story saying, Lamar met the 18-year-old woman online. They set a meeting at 167th Avenue and East 14th Street in San Leandro. She traveled there with her 17-year-old friend. Authorities say he's a member of Oakland's Ghost Town gang, and that she tried to use counterfeit money.

The driver said Lamar started counting, "He goes like 20, 40, and then he looked at the money like, 'This money fake.'"

Surveillance video from a used car lot shows Lamar Converse arguing with the woman, and then her 17-year-old friend rushing up with a handgun.

"All I see is the gun," said the driver. "He like, the dude walked to the car, like, 'Give me everything. Tear it off.' (makes gun sounds) He starts shooting. He never reached for nothing. Mar never made a move. We didn't have no guns on us. We ain't, we wasn't - nothing going on funny with us. No, we was just trying to get his money and we was gonna go back home."

Three weeks later, Alameda County Sheriff's investigators arrested the 17-year-old. One prosecutor told the I-Team the shooter confessed, that it was a "rock-solid case" for transfer to adult court, and not a robbery, but "a planned hit".

But, ABC7 News was there Monday at the Juvenile Justice Center in San Leandro when the DA's Office announced a deal. The teen admitted murder in the 2nd degree with personal and intentional discharge of a firearm, but he won't receive the 40-year-to-life prison sentence he could face if tried as an adult. The case remains in juvenile court.

"That's heartbreaking to hear them say they want to try him as a juvenile," Riley said.

I RETYPED THE SIGNED ARTICLE: and know it won’t copy paste right.

When Criminals Go Free
Each day our courts „punish“ dangerous felons by reasling them on probation.
The Result? Thousands of new crimes.

To THE YOUNG WOMEN he met, Micheal Cartier of Boston was an arrtactive, fun loving fellow. A sweet-alke, he persuaaded each girlfriend he was crazy about her.
Bur Cartier led a double life. He had a long criminal record of petty larcenies, break-ins and vandalism. Each time he was caught, he was merely fined or released on pribation,
The women he dated discovered the dark side of Cartier‘s personality too late. In October 1990, while on probation, he smashed the walls of his apartment with a sledgehammer and threw his girfriend‘s kitten out the window to its death. Punishment: another year of probation. The following spring, he beat up his girlfriend, and for this was jailed a few months, then released on probation.
He was back in court in Feburary 1992, for harressing her-a probation violation. Rather than send him to jail, the judge ordered Cartier to attend an “Alternatives to Violence“ program. Once a week, Cartier would expplore his hangups t rap sessions with a probation officer and a thearpist.
Meanwhile, he had begun to date Kristin Lardnerm 21, a talented student at the School of the Muesuen of Fine Arts in Boston. In April 1992 a day after one of his anti-vilonces clases, Cartier kicked her senseless on a city street.
When Cartier continued to pester her, she vowed to call the police. “I‘ll do six months at the most,“ Cartier mocked.“And when I get out, you better not be around.“ Lardner got an emergency restraining order and applied to file criminal complaints . But the news never reached the case officer, and Cartier remained on probation.
Kristin Lardnier died because a violent man who should have been behind bars was instead of on probation. She is among thousands of victims of a system that has grown dangerously lax.
Can‘t Keep Track. Probation was once a rare exeception to the general rule that convicted criminals should be punished by incarceration. Not anymore. “Probation is no longer confinded to first offenders.“ says Andrew Klien, chief probation officer in Quinency, Mass. For a variety of reasons-such as a prison overcrowding, plea bargaining, anbd faith in rehabilitation-tens of thousands of chronic, often violent felons get little or no jail time for their crimes.
In theory, probationers must obey strict rules and regularly report their activities to case officers. If they don‘t they are supposed to go back to jail. In reality, there is no way pribation officers can keep track of this hugee criminal army in our midst.
Criminals who should be locked up are not. Undetected thet violate their probation terms and commit new crimes. Even when caught, they often stay on the streets. Declares Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge S, Amator. “Probation is not a meaningful sentencing alternative for most cases. We‘re letting far to many dangerous go free.“
The massive number of probationers makes it imposible to effectly supervise them. Probation officers in New York City average caseloas of150 each; in San Diego County, 222; in Los Angeles County, about 600.
One study of three California programs ound in 1990 that probationers saw their case officers an average of just 15 minutes a month. In Los Angeles. The system is so over crowded-burdened that 65,000 probationers are required only to mail their officers a monthly postcard. Many of them don‘t bother.
And experiments with “intense superision“ programs must take drug test, perform community service and train for jobs, provide no evidence of rehablation. In fact,in some cases partcipatipants have been arrested at a higher rate than under routine supervision.
The truth is, once a criminal is released, it is impossible to know what he is really doing. For example, when Georgia police stopped Emmauel Hammond for speeding in Feburary 1988, they found an illegal hanfgun. He was arrested. At the time, Hammond was on propation for kidnapping and robbery. Possession of a firearm could have sent him straight to prison, but instead he remained free pending a hearing on whether his probation. Should be revolked. That hearing, however, was never held.
One evening in July 1988, Julie Love, a children‘s exercise instructor, was driving downan Alanta street when her car ran out of gas. Hammond, his girfriend and a cousin pulled over and offered Love a ride. When she refused, Hammond grabbed Love and took off. He robbed, and beat her, blasted her in the head with a sawed-off shot-gun and hid her body in a garbage dump.
A few months later Hammond was convicted on the earlier illegal handgun charges. He got two concurrent charges five-year prison terms, but was back on probation after four months. According to his case officer, he was a good probationer.
Eventually Hammond angered his old girfriend, who revealed to police the details of Julie Love‘s murder. He is now on death row.
Losing Track. Instead of imprisonimng probationaners who commit subquent crimes or violate parobation conditions, judges sometimes “piggyback‘‘ new probationationary sentences onto previous ones. “We‘ve have seen people with eight probations going at the same time.“ says Peter Solomon, a supervisor in the Pheliadelhia‘s probation department. “And due to overcrowded prisons, it‘s tough to keep them in jail.“
In 1984, Steven Smith was put on probation in New York City after a larceny conviction. The 23-year old driffter was arrested and convicted again in 1986 for possing stolen property. After serving a short jail term, he was put on probation again. By May 1988, the city‘s [robation department, overwhlemed with a caseload of 55,000 criminals, had lost track if him.
Ineffective Cure. Probation began during the last last century in the hope that some petty criminals would straighten out id given a second chance. Common sense limited first time, juvenile and minor offenders.
Then commonsense evaporate. “By the 1960‘s, “Charles Murray author of Beyond Propationn, “ wisdom had shifted to consenus that punishment was pointless, and often the best thing to do was to leave the offender on the street.“ Adds Texas District Court Judge Ted Poe: “Rehablitation became more important than retrubution. And when we found we couldn‘t “cure“ people in prison, the idea became “ Let‘s cure them on probation.“ Because of this attitude, and prison overcrowding, probation populations exploded. Today, nearly ywo-thirds, of all convicted criminals in the United States end up on probation.
The cure rarely works, however. A U.S. Justice Department study of 79,000 felony probationationers across the counyry discovered 43 percent were rearrested with in three years. The 1990 study of the three Calfornia programs found that more than two-thirds pf propationars examined were either arressted or violated some technical term of their probation within one year. Princeton University proffessor John J. Dilulio surveyed Wisconsin inmates in 1990 and found that over 40 percent admited they had already been on probation two or more times.
Frank James Berttucci is a typical example of a chronic offender. Since the 1960‘s, he had been arrested numerous times for crimes ranging from burglary to aggravated assult. Despite this record, a Chicago judge after another conviction for theft. Berttucci has since been arressted four more times.
Leon L. McKee of Milwakee is another habitual offender. He served two prison terms in the 1980s for robbery and burgurlary. Then he was convicted in October 1990 for criminal damage to property. A Judge let him out on probation. McKee repaid the judge‘s generestoy two months later by holding up a convience store. “ Give the money up“ McKee demanded if a clerk, “ Don‘t do anything, or I‘ll blow you off!“
A routine sentence of probation made possible some of the most sickening crimes in modern times. In 1989, Jeffery Dahmer was convicted of drugging and molesting a 13-year-old boy. He had been previously arrested for committing lewed acts in public. Dahmer could have gone to prison for 20 years but, ignoring a prosecutor‘s recommendation, a Milwaukii juge granted him five years‘ probation and a one year in the House of Correction “ under work release.“ Undetected, Dahmer had already killed five people at the time of his trial. While on probation, he proceeded to kill 12 more.
Civing Criminals a Break. Despite such sickening incidents, many groups are pushing for less incrceration. One is the National Council on Crime and Delinquenc based in San Francisco. “ We must turn away from theexcessive use of prisons,“ assert the NCCD‘s James Austion and John Irwin. “ Cherished hunuantiaran values are corrodedby our excessive focus on vindicativness“
Kenneth Schoen is another leading advocate of prison “reform.“ In the 1970s, a Minnesota‘s Correction Commissioner, Schoen pushed the state‘s criminal justice system toward “ alterntives to incarceration.“ In the years since, Minnesotta has grown far more lient toward many criminals. Probation became the recommended sentence even for some sex offenders. In 1991 the Menopolois
When Criminals Go Free
Each day our courts „punish“ dangerous felons by reasling them on probation.
The Result? Thousands of new crimes.

To THE YOUNG WOMEN he met, Micheal Cartier of Boston was an arrtactive, fun loving fellow. A sweet-alke, he persuaaded each girlfriend he was crazy about her.
Bur Cartier led a double life. He had a long criminal record of petty larcenies, break-ins and vandalism. Each time he was caught, he was merely fined or released on pribation,
The women he dated discovered the dark side of Cartier‘s personality too late. In October 1990, while on probation, he smashed the walls of his apartment with a sledgehammer and threw his girfriend‘s kitten out the window to its death. Punishment: another year of probation. The following spring, he beat up his girlfriend, and for this was jailed a few months, then released on probation.
He was back in court in Feburary 1992, for harressing her-a probation violation. Rather than send him to jail, the judge ordered Cartier to attend an “Alternatives to Violence“ program. Once a week, Cartier would expplore his hangups t rap sessions with a probation officer and a thearpist.
Meanwhile, he had begun to date Kristin Lardnerm 21, a talented student at the School of the Muesuen of Fine Arts in Boston. In April 1992 a day after one of his anti-vilonces clases, Cartier kicked her senseless on a city street.
When Cartier continued to pester her, she vowed to call the police. “I‘ll do six months at the most,“ Cartier mocked.“And when I get out, you better not be around.“ Lardner got an emergency restraining order and applied to file criminal complaints . But the news never reached the case officer, and Cartier remained on probation.
Kristin Lardnier died because a violent man who should have been behind bars was instead of on probation. She is among thousands of victims of a system that has grown dangerously lax.
Can‘t Keep Track. Probation was once a rare exeception to the general rule that convicted criminals should be punished by incarceration. Not anymore. “Probation is no longer confinded to first offenders.“ says Andrew Klien, chief probation officer in Quinency, Mass. For a variety of reasons-such as a prison overcrowding, plea bargaining, anbd faith in rehabilitation-tens of thousands of chronic, often violent felons get little or no jail time for their crimes.
In theory, probationers must obey strict rules and regularly report their activities to case officers. If they don‘t they are supposed to go back to jail. In reality, there is no way pribation officers can keep track of this hugee criminal army in our midst.
Criminals who should be locked up are not. Undetected thet violate their probation terms and commit new crimes. Even when caught, they often stay on the streets. Declares Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge S, Amator. “Probation is not a meaningful sentencing alternative for most cases. We‘re letting far to many dangerous go free.“
The massive number of probationers makes it imposible to effectly supervise them. Probation officers in New York City average caseloas of150 each; in San Diego County, 222; in Los Angeles County, about 600.
One study of three California programs ound in 1990 that probationers saw their case officers an average of just 15 minutes a month. In Los Angeles. The system is so over crowded-burdened that 65,000 probationers are required only to mail their officers a monthly postcard. Many of them don‘t bother.
And experiments with “intense superision“ programs must take drug test, perform community service and train for jobs, provide no evidence of rehablation. In fact,in some cases partcipatipants have been arrested at a higher rate than under routine supervision.
The truth is, once a criminal is released, it is impossible to know what he is really doing. For example, when Georgia police stopped Emmauel Hammond for speeding in Feburary 1988, they found an illegal hanfgun. He was arrested. At the time, Hammond was on propation for kidnapping and robbery. Possession of a firearm could have sent him straight to prison, but instead he remained free pending a hearing on whether his probation. Should be revolked. That hearing, however, was never held.
One evening in July 1988, Julie Love, a children‘s exercise instructor, was driving downan Alanta street when her car ran out of gas. Hammond, his girfriend and a cousin pulled over and offered Love a ride. When she refused, Hammond grabbed Love and took off. He robbed, and beat her, blasted her in the head with a sawed-off shot-gun and hid her body in a garbage dump.
A few months later Hammond was convicted on the earlier illegal handgun charges. He got two concurrent charges five-year prison terms, but was back on probation after four months. According to his case officer, he was a good probationer.
Eventually Hammond angered his old girfriend, who revealed to police the details of Julie Love‘s murder. He is now on death row.
Losing Track. Instead of imprisonimng probationaners who commit subquent crimes or violate parobation conditions, judges sometimes “piggyback‘‘ new probationationary sentences onto previous ones. “We‘ve have seen people with eight probations going at the same time.“ says Peter Solomon, a supervisor in the Pheliadelhia‘s probation department. “And due to overcrowded prisons, it‘s tough to keep them in jail.“
In 1984, Steven Smith was put on probation in New York City after a larceny conviction. The 23-year old driffter was arrested and convicted again in 1986 for possing stolen property. After serving a short jail term, he was put on probation again. By May 1988, the city‘s [robation department, overwhlemed with a caseload of 55,000 criminals, had lost track if him.
Ineffective Cure. Probation began during the last last century in the hope that some petty criminals would straighten out id given a second chance. Common sense limited first time, juvenile and minor offenders.
Then commonsense evaporate. “By the 1960‘s, “Charles Murray author of Beyond Propationn, “ wisdom had shifted to consenus that punishment was pointless, and often the best thing to do was to leave the offender on the street.“ Adds Texas District Court Judge Ted Poe: “Rehablitation became more important than retrubution. And when we found we couldn‘t “cure“ people in prison, the idea became “ Let‘s cure them on probation.“ Because of this attitude, and prison overcrowding, probation populations exploded. Today, nearly ywo-thirds, of all convicted criminals in the United States end up on probation.
The cure rarely works, however. A U.S. Justice Department study of 79,000 felony probationationers across the counyry discovered 43 percent were rearrested with in three years. The 1990 study of the three Calfornia programs found that more than two-thirds pf propationars examined were either arressted or violated some technical term of their probation within one year. Princeton University proffessor John J. Dilulio surveyed Wisconsin inmates in 1990 and found that over 40 percent admited they had already been on probation two or more times.
Frank James Berttucci is a typical example of a chronic offender. Since the 1960‘s, he had been arrested numerous times for crimes ranging from burglary to aggravated assult. Despite this record, a Chicago judge after another conviction for theft. Berttucci has since been arressted four more times.
Leon L. McKee of Milwakee is another habitual offender. He served two prison terms in the 1980s for robbery and burgurlary. Then he was convicted in October 1990 for criminal damage to property. A Judge let him out on probation. McKee repaid the judge‘s generestoy two months later by holding up a convience store. “ Give the money up“ McKee demanded if a clerk, “ Don‘t do anything, or I‘ll blow you off!“
A routine sentence of probation made possible some of the most sickening crimes in modern times. In 1989, Jeffery Dahmer was convicted of drugging and molesting a 13-year-old boy. He had been previously arrested for committing lewed acts in public. Dahmer could have gone to prison for 20 years but, ignoring a prosecutor‘s recommendation, a Milwaukii juge granted him five years‘ probation and a one year in the House of Correction “ under work release.“ Undetected, Dahmer had already killed five people at the time of his trial. While on probation, he proceeded to kill 12 more.
Giving Criminals a Break. Despite such sickening incidents, many groups are pushing for less incrceration. One is the National Council on Crime and Delinquenc based in San Francisco. “ We must turn away from theexcessive use of prisons,“ assert the NCCD‘s James Austion and John Irwin. “ Cherished hunuantiaran values are corrodedby our excessive focus on vindicativness“
Kenneth Schoen is another leading advocate of prison “reform.“ In the 1970s, a Minnesota‘s Correction Commissioner, Schoen pushed the state‘s criminal justice system toward “ alterntives to incarceration.“ In the years since, Minnesotta has grown far more lient toward many criminals. Probation became the recommended sentence even for some sex offenders. In 1991 the Menopolois When Criminals Go Free
Each day our courts „punish“ dangerous felons by reasling them on probation.
The Result? Thousands of new crimes.

To THE YOUNG WOMEN he met, Micheal Cartier of Boston was an arrtactive, fun loving fellow. A sweet-alke, he persuaaded each girlfriend he was crazy about her.
But Cartier led a double life. He had a long criminal record of petty larcenies, break-ins and vandalism. Each time he was caught, he was merely fined or released on pribation,
The women he dated discovered the dark side of Cartier‘s personality too late. In October 1990, while on probation, he smashed the walls of his apartment with a sledgehammer and threw his girfriend‘s kitten out the window to its death. Punishment: another year of probation. The following spring, he beat up his girlfriend, and for this was jailed a few months, then released on probation.
He was back in court in Feburary 1992, for harressing her-a probation violation. Rather than send him to jail, the judge ordered Cartier to attend an “Alternatives to Violence“ program. Once a week, Cartier would expplore his hangups t rap sessions with a probation officer and a thearpist.
Meanwhile, he had begun to date Kristin Lardnerm 21, a talented student at the School of the Muesuen of Fine Arts in Boston. In April 1992 a day after one of his anti-vilonces clases, Cartier kicked her senseless on a city street.
When Cartier continued to pester her, she vowed to call the police. “I‘ll do six months at the most,“ Cartier mocked.“And when I get out, you better not be around.“ Lardner got an emergency restraining order and applied to file criminal complaints . But the news never reached the case officer, and Cartier remained on probation.
Kristin Lardnier died because a violent man who should have been behind bars was instead of on probation. She is among thousands of victims of a system that has grown dangerously lax.
Can‘t Keep Track. Probation was once a rare exeception to the general rule that convicted criminals should be punished by incarceration. Not anymore. “Probation is no longer confinded to first offenders.“ says Andrew Klien, chief probation officer in Quinency, Mass. For a variety of reasons-such as a prison overcrowding, plea bargaining, anbd faith in rehabilitation-tens of thousands of chronic, often violent felons get little or no jail time for their crimes.
In theory, probationers must obey strict rules and regularly report their activities to case officers. If they don‘t they are supposed to go back to jail. In reality, there is no way pribation officers can keep track of this hugee criminal army in our midst.
Criminals who should be locked up are not. Undetected thet violate their probation terms and commit new crimes. Even when caught, they often stay on the streets. Declares Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge S, Amator. “Probation is not a meaningful sentencing alternative for most cases. We‘re letting far to many dangerous go free.“
The massive number of probationers makes it imposible to effectly supervise them. Probation officers in New York City average caseloas of150 each; in San Diego County, 222; in Los Angeles County, about 600.
One study of three California programs ound in 1990 that probationers saw their case officers an average of just 15 minutes a month. In Los Angeles. The system is so over crowded-burdened that 65,000 probationers are required only to mail their officers a monthly postcard. Many of them don‘t bother.
And experiments with “intense superision“ programs must take drug test, perform community service and train for jobs, provide no evidence of rehablation. In fact,in some cases partcipatipants have been arrested at a higher rate than under routine supervision.
The truth is, once a criminal is released, it is impossible to know what he is really doing. For example, when Georgia police stopped Emmauel Hammond for speeding in Feburary 1988, they found an illegal hanfgun. He was arrested. At the time, Hammond was on propation for kidnapping and robbery. Possession of a firearm could have sent him straight to prison, but instead he remained free pending a hearing on whether his probation. Should be revolked. That hearing, however, was never held.
One evening in July 1988, Julie Love, a children‘s exercise instructor, was driving downan Alanta street when her car ran out of gas. Hammond, his girfriend and a cousin pulled over and offered Love a ride. When she refused, Hammond grabbed Love and took off. He robbed, and beat her, blasted her in the head with a sawed-off shot-gun and hid her body in a garbage dump.
A few months later Hammond was convicted on the earlier illegal handgun charges. He got two concurrent charges five-year prison terms, but was back on probation after four months. According to his case officer, he was a good probationer.
Eventually Hammond angered his old girfriend, who revealed to police the details of Julie Love‘s murder. He is now on death row.
Losing Track. Instead of imprisonimng probationaners who commit subquent crimes or violate parobation conditions, judges sometimes “piggyback‘‘ new probationationary sentences onto previous ones. “We‘ve have seen people with eight probations going at the same time.“ says Peter Solomon, a supervisor in the Pheliadelhia‘s probation department. “And due to overcrowded prisons, it‘s tough to keep them in jail.“
In 1984, Steven Smith was put on probation in New York City after a larceny conviction. The 23-year old driffter was arrested and convicted again in 1986 for possing stolen property. After serving a short jail term, he was put on probation again. By May 1988, the city‘s [robation department, overwhlemed with a caseload of 55,000 criminals, had lost track if him.
Ineffective Cure. Probation began during the last last century in the hope that some petty criminals would straighten out id given a second chance. Common sense limited first time, juvenile and minor offenders.
Then commonsense evaporate. “By the 1960‘s, “Charles Murray author of Beyond Propationn, “ wisdom had shifted to consenus that punishment was pointless, and often the best thing to do was to leave the offender on the street.“ Adds Texas District Court Judge Ted Poe: “Rehablitation became more important than retrubution. And when we found we couldn‘t “cure“ people in prison, the idea became “ Let‘s cure them on probation.“ Because of this attitude, and prison overcrowding, probation populations exploded. Today, nearly ywo-thirds, of all convicted criminals in the United States end up on probation.
The cure rarely works, however. A U.S. Justice Department study of 79,000 felony probationationers across the counyry discovered 43 percent were rearrested with in three years. The 1990 study of the three Calfornia programs found that more than two-thirds pf propationars examined were either arressted or violated some technical term of their probation within one year. Princeton University proffessor John J. Dilulio surveyed Wisconsin inmates in 1990 and found that over 40 percent admited they had already been on probation two or more times.
Frank James Berttucci is a typical example of a chronic offender. Since the 1960‘s, he had been arrested numerous times for crimes ranging from burglary to aggravated assult. Despite this record, a Chicago judge after another conviction for theft. Berttucci has since been arressted four more times.
Leon L. McKee of Milwakee is another habitual offender. He served two prison terms in the 1980s for robbery and burgurlary. Then he was convicted in October 1990 for criminal damage to property. A Judge let him out on probation. McKee repaid the judge‘s generestoy two months later by holding up a convience store. “ Give the money up“ McKee demanded if a clerk, “ Don‘t do anything, or I‘ll blow you off!“
A routine sentence of probation made possible some of the most sickening crimes in modern times. In 1989, Jeffery Dahmer was convicted of drugging and molesting a 13-year-old boy. He had been previously arrested for committing lewed acts in public. Dahmer could have gone to prison for 20 years but, ignoring a prosecutor‘s recommendation, a Milwaukii juge granted him five years‘ probation and a one year in the House of Correction “ under work release.“ Undetected, Dahmer had already killed five people at the time of his trial. While on probation, he proceeded to kill 12 more.
Civing Criminals a Break. Despite such sickening incidents, many groups are pushing for less incrceration. One is the National Council on Crime and Delinquenc based in San Francisco. “ We must turn away from theexcessive use of prisons,“ assert the NCCD‘s James Austion and John Irwin. “ Cherished hunuantiaran values are corrodedby our excessive focus on vindicativness“
Kenneth Schoen is another leading advocate of prison “reform.“ In the 1970s, a Minnesota‘s Correction Commissioner, Schoen pushed the state‘s criminal justice system toward “ alterntives to incarceration.“ In the years since, Minnesotta has grown far more lient toward many criminals. Probation became the recommended sentence even for some sex offenders. In 1991 the Menopolois
Star Tribune said, Minnesota gives breaks to rapist and child Molesters. It‘s progressive programs have won praise, but they have not made the state safer for women and children,“

Now in New York City, Schoen directs the Justice Program at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, which crusades for fewer and shorter prison terms. “ Governors and legislators have to change all those mndless get-tough crime laws and mandatory minimun sentencing statutes that they passed in recent years,“ he declares. With assets of over $439 million, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundatio has helped fund other alternatives-to-incarceration projects in Michigan, South Carolna, Colorado, Alabama and Delware.
When Oregon faced a shortage ofprison space in the 1980s, the Oregon Prison Overcrowding Project (OPOP), funded in part by the foundatio, blamed the problem not on criminals but on “ an inclination to respond to crime as a strigently as possible.“ According to its report hundreds of prison inmates could be granted probation at little increased risk to the public.
The (OPOP) urged the state legislature to begin “ a complete review of the criminal code.“ Following the lead of Mennesottam Oregoin has nowcemented into law some of the most premissive sentencing guidelines in the country. Judges are expected to grant probation for property crimes under $5,000 and thefts under $50,000,even if the offender has as many as three felony convictions. Probation for child abandoment or for peddling child pornography. “ The results of these guidelines are often ludicrious,“ declares Joshua Marquis, chief deouty district attorney in Deschutes County. “ Serious criminls are laughing up their sleeves.“
Leonard Hasbrook is one, He had gone to prison for burglary and drug possession before the new sentencing guidlines took effect. Then he burglarized an office and robbed a safe containing thousands of dollars in siller coins. Sentence: two years probation and 60 days in jail.
Russian Roulette, Reform of the nation‘s probation system will not be easy, but the common-sence measures would make the streetssafer.
1. Expand prison capacity, In the1960s, imprisoment fell sharply, and crime rates leveled off dramatically during the 1980s, and crime rates can be ascribed to the increased use of imprisonment,: says Professior Dilulio, “ Not all of the decrease can be ascribed to the increased used imprisonment.“ says Proffessor Dukulio. “But the datta leaes no doubt that theincreased use of prisons has averted millions of serious crimes..“
Although prisons are expensive, their costs have to be put into perspective. For and additional five dollars per U.S. residents, we take thousands of additional criminals off our streets. And studies cinfirm that the cost of a new prison is more than offsetsby the savings from crimes that are prevented.
2. End probation for chronic and violent offenders, “ Fool me once shame on you. Fool metwice, shame on me.“ This adage sunms up all that needs to be said about the systems‘s blind faithin rehabiliation. Probation for some first-time or petty offenders is reasonable. What we have now is not.
3. Punish violators. Once probationers learn they can commit infrations with impunity, there‘s little incentive for them to stay out of trouble. Ken Babick of Mulmouth County, Oregon, speaks for mny other probation officers when hesays, “ We need to use “ jail thearpy“ -a swift scantion that will put a probationb violatorin jail.“

Releasing Dangerous Felons back onto the streets is playing Russion Roulette with innocent lives. No one understands this better thanj the victims-or their suvivors.
Kristin Lardner‘s family remains stunned at their loss. For months her father George Lardner, Jr, has been trying to make sense of a system that allowed his daughter to be murdered by a man who should have been locked up. He has reached only one conclusion: they say that winking at a wrong causes trouble. Well, that‘s probatiob-a wink at evil.“

Star Tribune said, Minnesota gives breaks to rapist and child Molesters. It‘s progressive programs have won praise, but they have not made the state safer for women and children,“
Now in New York City, Schoen directs the Justice Program at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, which crusades for fewer and shorter prison terms. “ Governors and legislators have to change all those mndless get-tough crime laws and mandatory minimun sentencing statutes that they passed in recent years,“ he declares. With assets of over $439 million, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundatio has helped fund other alternatives-to-incarceration projects in Michigan, South Carolna, Colorado, Alabama and Delware.
When Oregon faced a shortage ofprison space in the 1980s, the Oregon Prison Overcrowding Project (OPOP), funded in part by the foundatio, blamed the problem not on criminals but on “ an inclination to respond to crime as a strigently as possible.“ According to its report hundreds of prison inmates could be granted probation at little increased risk to the public.
The (OPOP) urged the state legislature to begin “ a complete review of the criminal code.“ Following the lead of Mennesottam Oregoin has nowcemented into law some of the most premissive sentencing guidelines in the country. Judges are expected to grant probation for property crimes under $5,000 and thefts under $50,000,even if the offender has as many as three felony convictions. Probation for child abandoment or for peddling child pornography. “ The results of these guidelines are often ludicrious,“ declares Joshua Marquis, chief deouty district attorney in Deschutes County. “ Serious criminls are laughing up their sleeves.“
Leonard Hasbrook is one, He had gone to prison for burglary and drug possession before the new sentencing guidlines took effect. Then he burglarized an office and robbed a safe containing thousands of dollars in siller coins. Sentence: two years probation and 60 days in jail.
Russian Roulette, Reform of the nation‘s probation system will not be easy, but the common-sence measures would make the streetssafer.
1. Expand prison capacity, In the1960s, imprisoment fell sharply, and crime rates leveled off dramatically during the 1980s, and crime rates can be ascribed to the increased use of imprisonment,: says Professior Dilulio, “ Not all of the decrease can be ascribed to the increased used imprisonment.“ says Proffessor Dukulio. “But the datta leaes no doubt that theincreased use of prisons has averted millions of serious crimes..“
Although prisons are expensive, their costs have to be put into perspective. For and additional five dollars per U.S. residents, we take thousands of additional criminals off our streets. And studies cinfirm that the cost of a new prison is more than offsetsby the savings from crimes that are prevented.
2. End probation for chronic and violent offenders, “ Fool me once shame on you. Fool metwice, shame on me.“ This adage sunms up all that needs to be said about the systems‘s blind faithin rehabiliation. Probation for some first-time or petty offenders is reasonable. What we have now is not.
3. Punish violators. Once probationers learn they can commit infrations with impunity, there‘s little incentive for them to stay out of trouble. Ken Babick of Mulmouth County, Oregon, speaks for mny other probation officers when hesays, “ We need to use “ jail thearpy“ -a swift scantion that will put a probationb violatorin jail.“

Releasing Dangerous Felons back onto the streets is playing Russion Roulette with innocent lives. No one understands this better thanj the victims-or their suvivors.
Kristin Lardner‘s family remains stunned at their loss. For months her father George Lardner, Jr, has been trying to make sense of a system that allowed his daughter to be murdered by a man who should have been locked up. He has reached only one conclusion: Vthey say that winkin at a wrong causes trouble. Well, that‘s probatiob-a wink at evil.“

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