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EDITORIAL: ‘Justice’ revisited |
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Tuesday, 28 October 2008 |
Yes, we were just as stunned as any of you when we learned that Sheila Blair of Benton had been released from prison. Who wasn’t stunned? Frustrated with the legal system? Angry?
Don’t feel badly; we all had a right to ride that roller coaster of emotions.
Blair, 43, has been convicted 10 times — 10 times! — of driving while intoxicated. Finally, the legal system saw fit to punish her with significantly more justice than previously displayed, when the penalties were perceived, under the circumstances, to be little more than slaps on the wrist. This time, the 10th time, Blair was sentenced to serve 10 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction.
That may have been many years too few, but, hey, society must sometimes take what we can get.
Then, we all learned that Blair was out of prison after serving less that one year of that 10-year sentence. We have the Emergency Powers Act to thank for that. That act permits the early release of non-violent criminals to free prison space for more violent offenders. The state can’t afford more prisons so it has to play musical beds. We surely can’t do things like chain prisoners to a tree outside a government building, a la Tommy Robinson years back. Then we’d have to deal with folks like the ACLU. It’s a vicious cycle.
Thankfully, this bit of injustice with Blair drew the immediate attention, and ire, of several people who are capable of making inroads in correcting this obvious flaw in the law, including state Rep. Dan Greenberg of Little Rock, state Sen. Shane Broadway of Bryant, Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Ken Casady and others.
Greenberg summed it up: Laws that would permit a 10-timer like Blair to walk the streets are “pathetic and ridiculous.” Now, he and others want to do something about it. Greenberg plans to sponsor legislation that will prevent the Department of Correction from classifying felony DWI as a non-violent offense.That would prevent a repeat of the Blair debacle and trump the Emergency Powers Act.
Greenberg credited Casady with the idea for the proposed legislation. He publicly thanked Broadway for supporting the proposal. We suspect, and hope, that any number of legislators, state officials and law enforcement representatives will lend their support to the proposal. We believe the public certainly will support the measure.
We sure do.
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Razorbacks