>>Now that is a good point. If I found out some of the terrible acts that have been perpetrated on victims in the past (and lets admit it, there are some too gruesome to even contemplate) were done to someone I care about, I would probably do the unthinkable immediately if given the opportunity. I do not know at what point rational thinking would return. I guess it is the responsibility of the judicial system to protect the accused until that occurs.
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>Yep, that's the whole point of having a justice system, to ensure that crimes are handled rationally and with regard for everyone's concerns, not just the victim or the victim's family.
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And would you call today's CJS "rational"? Hahahahahahahahaha, sorry....

The theory sounds good, but in practice it is not working. As I see it, the problem is we have gone from focusing on the victim, to focusing on the suspect, or even the convicted. A rational approach would implement a little basic "behavior modification" therapy. I'm advocating such a plan in Memphis right now, and have a actually gotten the attention of some of our state legislators.

I propose a modification of the sentencing guidelines so that most sentences would be reduced in length, but would escalate at each interval. Here's a sample scenario where one person gets arrested on different charges:

1st offense - shoplifting (automatic probation)
2nd offense - prostitution (1 day in jail)
3rd offense - driving while license suspended (10 days in jail)
4th offense - prostitution (30 days in jail)
5th offense - simple assault ( 2 months in jail)
subsequent convictions result in a doubling of the previous sentence.
etc.

The "beauty" of such a system is that the criminals will learn the matrix to the point they can recite it, just like they know what happens today when you get arrested on a misdemeanor (not much). Additionally, these people should get what the sentece is, with no reduction for "good time" or anything else.

We'll see if it gets any traction in the legislature.

www.memphiscrime.blogspot.com for more on this.