I’ve just read about a guy who stole two cartons of ice cream and some whipped cream from Walmart at Buffalo Ridge and was charged with a felony and released on bail. A 60 year old Villager who was found high and passed out under a shady tree in his neighborhood was charged with a felony for have a vaping device and an ounce of THC oil. He was released on bail, too. (The odd thing is that he could have gone to a marijuana doctor, said he felt anxious, and received a license letting him have that stuff legally.)

Neither is likely to serve a day in jail for these crimes. The thing is, prison is very expensive. Apart from the fact that criminals choose to be criminals and that their actions damage or destroy lives and property, including their own, what are you willing to pay to put someone behind bars? Any trial is expensive by the time you pay for the time of all the people involved, from deputies to court reporters to janitors. Are you willing for we the people to pay, say, a total of $20,000 to mete out a 30 day sentence and another $30,000 for the incarceration costs? All for $10 worth of ice cream? A jury trial is much more expensive. District Attorneys don’t want to spend that money and time if they aren’t pretty much sure of a conviction. I read recently that incarceration in the New York City area exceeds $500,000 per year per prisoner. I’ve heard that it’s not much cheaper in Florida, but I’m not sure.

I myself believe we should follow the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (ratified in 1865): “ Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Sell these convicts as slaves or indentured servants for the term of their incarceration and let them do difficult and dangerous work. Better yet, make many violent crimes capital offenses and carry out the sentence within a few weeks in a humane way, like putting down a dog. I know most readers will disagree. Just my feeling on the topic. It would be cheaper and better for society and decrease the number of repeat offenders. I consider prison worse than death.

At a very basic level, stupidity in the thought that the gift of freedom will automatically result in a redemption and a change in morals and values.

A deeper possible answer, to create a downfall of the US through total chaos. Leading good citizens that have morals and values to NEEDING the government to rescue society through policing those not falling in line with political agendas, classic, what do you call it?... communism?

Maybe Prosecutors and Judges are more important than people give credit? Is the US slowly being infiltrated through elections in the judicial process? Will the Villages will see more crime if there is a slow burn of "punishment fits the crime" and law enforcement and elected judicials being "woke"?
Could third world status of the US be knocking at the door in an effort to bring this country to its knees?

Who knows, but long as our golf courses stay nice we will all be OK.

I have not. But, I'm interested to hear why you ask this question. Can you please elaborate?

Yeppers.

do research...............hint, the political viewpoint being pushed on many campuses.

Repeat offenders
 

For most places where this is happening the words of reasons are not acceptable to the moderator, sorry

Chaos
 

QUOTE=Pairadocs;2190786]As you pointed out, it is a very complicated, interrelated, issue, and most people want ONE SIMPLE answer. Have adult children in St. Louis. Interesting and tragic situation there right now. Young female teen, in town with her parents, volleyball team, and coach from her high school in Tennessee (big tournament) just lost BOTH of her legs as a result of an individual with a horrendous criminal record and, like so many cases now, should never have been free to harm anymore people. But that brings us back to the point of their chief circuit attorney, Kim Gardner, may finally be removed from office. But.... this is the same story over and over in nearly every big city. If and when some of these people are finally removed for incompetency, will it really make a difference ? Or. do our larger cities have so many complex and interrelated problems they are "insolvable" ? It would be a start, but, would her removal (or resignation) change things ?[/QUOTE]
Who appointed Kim Gardner? This is the big question. The answer is money provided by non other than George. George who? Soros. He is trying to destabilize our citys by doing that and creating mass chaos so what will happen? Martial law. He is funding many more city prosecutors around the country. How do you take down a country? Martial law!

“I’ve just read about a guy who stole two cartons of ice cream and some whipped cream from Walmart at Buffalo Ridge and was charged with a felony and released on bail. A 60 year old Villager who was found high and passed out under a shady tree in his neighborhood was charged with a felony for have a vaping device and an ounce of THC oil. He was released on bail, too“

This may sound like looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, but the above quote is an indication of just how GOOD we Villagers have it. Back where I’m from (and I am assuming this is the case for a lot of us) someone walking out the door with unpaid-for ice cream and whipped cream wouldn’t even have caused the cashier to look up. In fact the de facto method of doing business in the Minneapolis - St. Paul metro area is to treat all shoplifting thefts under $1,000 as misdemeanors, and thefts OVER that amount are taken as reports that get acted on “if and when”.It has gotten so bad that businesses there (the few that remain open) have “customers” who walk in, take what they wan and walk out. And that reference is not to ice cream, but to some pretty fancy electronics, name-brand clothing, etc. The cops up there are just too few in number, too overworked, and too hamstrung by the very municipalities that hire them, to operate in any other way.

The way that the law operates down here is a carbon-copy of how Giuliani cleaned up New York. Constant, unrelenting pressure on the petty thieves and criminals is a guarantee that the little stuff will rarely, if ever, blossom into the big stuff.Do you think that many, if any, of those electronic and designer-clothes ripoff artists would have graduated to the (relatively) big time of $1,000 thefts made with impunity had they been made to face felony charges for absconding with a few containers of ice cream? I sure don’t.

At least part (not the entire, of course) of the answer is fair, equitable law enforcement across-the-board by law-enforcement agencies that have adequate manpower AND the outspoken support of the powers-that-be that employs them. I share the frustration of the poster at the felony charge leveled at the ice-cream thief who was allowed to go free on minimal bail. Happens a lot around here. But by the same token how many even get charged down here with thefts in there $1,000 range? Very, very few when compared to the small-timers.

A lot of municipalities around the country could take a valuable lesson from how Giuliani cleaned up New York and from how law-enforcement operates in The Villages. But of course they won’t.

Wrong. Police departments and Sheriff's departments do not receive monies levied as fines. That money typically goes into the city or county general operating fund. And, believe me, no one is more disgusted with the revolving door that criminals pass through than law enforcement officers.

Well I am curious if those that sympathize have ever gone through an event. Just had our house up north burglarized, thrashed and our other car stolen right out of our garage. My wife is totally traumatized and not sure she can go back in house.

The only good news is the ******* was caught a few days later riding around in my car.

Because he had mask on and gloves and Hoodi they won't prosecute for actual burglary. Only for possession of stolen goods, a felony, and drugs and such. Looked him up online......20 pages of previous offenses.....and he is still out on the street. 45 yrs old.....so don't talk about rehabilitation. He should be in jail for the rest of his life before he kills someone. Or maybe take up a little mid east justice and chop off his hands.

Yes very ****ed off right now. Ill gladly pay more taxes to put these creeps where they belong.

If you're wondering why, you haven't been paying attention to what's been going on in this country for the past 7 years.

Too much “situational ethics” being practiced around here. The Good Book is a users manual that provides very clear guidance for every imaginable event that confronts humanity.

Wow! Mandoman for President.

Why are you "asking" us? Ask the judges and prosecutors. People commit crimes, are convicted, serve their time and are released.

Redemption
 

Heard the ukranians are looking for able bodied individuals. Now that's a presidential pardon i can get behind.