THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 20, 1994 TAG: 9409200008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
The time has come to create a criminal-justice system that forces convicted offenders to serve the prison time to which they are sentenced, and Gov. George Allen's plan to abolish parole and reform sentencing in Virginia will achieve this objective.
For far too long in our commonwealth, sentences handed down by juries have been all but meaningless. In fact, through ``good time credits'' and parole, some offenders serve only 17 percent of their sentences before being released back into the community. Many of these released prisoners become repeat offenders, revisiting the criminal-justice system again and again.
This revolvig-door justice is unacceptable. A criminal should always know that he will be required to pay more than a mere fraction of his debt tosociety.
Abolishing parole, along with allowing juries to consider the criminal past during sentencing, will provide this ``truth in sentencing.'' Under the Allen reforms, prisoners will serve a minimum of 85 percent of their sentences, and a criminal in jail cannot threaten neighborhoods of Hampton Roads and or any other place.
Last year, the voters called for abolition of parole, and the General Assembly should respect that mandate during the special session called by the governor.
JOSEPH H. ANDREANA
Virginia Beach, Sept. 14, 1994 by CNB