Justice Flaw

The Dallas editorial released an article called “Lawmakers must fix justice flaws now.” The intended audience the author was aiming for was lawmakers in Texas and I think that they are the only ones who can really do anything about the matter. Voters can’t make a difference, so I believe he was right in writing this for lawmakers. The author talked about a case that happened back in 1984, where a man called Johnny Pinchback was found guilty of double rape. They had the wrong man because his dna did not match that of the rapist. This makes his post credible and it is an example that lawmakers can learn from. Unfortunately in 1998 the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Sharon Keller disregarded the dna evidence that proved Pinchback didn’t commit the crime. The author’s argument is that Texans must put some pressure on lawmakers so that there won’t be any more innocent people sent to jail and that way cut spending on prisons. The author says this has destroyed many lives and prosecutors have made many mistakes. He says that this must not go on anymore and that we should do something to stop it from happening to anymore innocent people.

                I agree with the Author and believe that Local and State government should look at the cases of all convicted criminals if even briefly and decide if DNA testing can help release innocent people from jail. I think that the author’s message is clear and there is really no excuse for these judges and prosecutors to not give someone who might be innocent a new trial to prove their innocence. If this happens then police can actually start looking for the real criminal responsible for the acts and this will greatly help our society. If the court system can’t even get the right person who committed a crime than what’s to stop that same person from doing a crime again? I think there is no negative to this issue and lawmakers should step up right now and start to make some changes to the trial system.

 

Original post on Justice Flaw 

Commentary on Hosniyeh’s Prison Post

Here is my comment on Hosniyeh’s post about the state’s prison spending.

For the most part I agree with your point of view on this manner and I believe that the economic status of the state will improve. If an inmate is too sick to take care of himself, then what is the point of prison if the inmate poses no threat to society? This only increases the costs to run the prison and we as tax payers are the ones who suffer the most. I believe that these elderly and ill inmates can be sent home to their families under parole and if they do anything wrong then the state will surely have no trouble placing them back in prison. If someone has been incarcerated since they were 21 years old and is now elderly and sick, doesn’t the state think that serving a whole life sentence is just too extreme? However I do believe that if someone is not under any life threatening issues than they should not be granted this parole because they might just do something unpredictable that might endanger others.

Hosniyeh's Post on Prison Spending 

Immigration Situation

Texas government has to step up now, regarding immigration with Mexico. Politicians in the state talk about changing laws regarding immigration, but nothing is being done. The dream act which would give students attending a university citizenship is one of several laws that were proposed, but with no avail. I think that if an immigrant is doing something positive with their life, such as going to college and helping out the community, there is no reason to deny them a chance to officially be a legal citizen of the state.  

Right now is especially a dangerous time for Mexicans who live in or close to borders because of the drug war going on which has not been seen before in some cities. These drug lords have in some cases taken complete control of some towns and citizens can do nothing, but live in fear because there is no one to turn to for help. Many innocent people have died and yet the Mexican government turns a blind eye at these criminals. 

The Hispanic population in Texas will only grow bigger in years to come and I see no reason for local government to just keep quiet about the issue. Obama also needs to address the nation about the current immigration issue and come up with a way to solve this broken system. It is not an easy task by any means, but I believe that if the government took the time to look at the immigration situation more in depth, they could surely find a way to implement a law that will help immigrants out. This doesn’t mean that I believe everyone should have citizenship because it will surely not be good for neighboring economies and even ours. Now is the time for the government to act and to at least start to fix this issue once in for all.