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Show What About Habitual Criminals? The rights of society in many legal jurisdictions today are being trampled in the administration of justice involving habitual criminals. Suspended sentences, paroles and probations are meted out to murderers, rapists and depraved thugs as though they were badges of merit. This "criminal feedback" the maladministration mal-administration of rehabilitation procedures is definitely a contributing con-tributing factor in the alarming rise of criminality. Incorrigibles and known repeaters, who have been favored by some form of leniency, flout the laws of the land and make make a mockery of our judicial processes in some areas. Many are barely beyond the confines of prison walls before returning to their bizarre activities. They prey again on the unsuspecting public, and again, law enforcement must ferret them out. Thus the vicious .cycle continues. There is no intent here to question or criticize the valid intent of rehabilitation systems. They are an integral and necessary neces-sary part of our form of government: Certainly the dedicated and conscientious parole and probation officers, faced with increasing in-creasing caseloads and outmoded clemency regulations in many localities, cannot be blamed. The grave fault lies with those who permit such conditions to exist. It is difficult to follow the reasoning of some authorities who seem bent on changing our whole structure to mollify the criminal element. Disinterested prosecutors and overly protective protec-tive courts tilt the scale of justice in favor of the lawless, and experimentations by some parole officials in prematurely releasing releas-ing habitual offenders defy comprehension. Since the inception of the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" Fugi-tives" program in March, 1950, 167 criminals have been on the list. Of this number, 140 received some form of leniency. More than 21,000 parole and probation violators are listed in the "fugitive stop notices" maintained by the FBI for local police. Criminal reaction to lenient practices is axiomatic. Such treatment is considered an invitation by the gloating hoodlum to renew his life of crime. As if this were not enough, scores of other persons who witness this "soft justice" swing confidently into illegal operations. A distinguished federal judge with almost 40 years' experience experi-ence on the bench has advised the FBI it is his belief that countless count-less potential offenders are drawn into crime with the hope that they will not have to face strictly the consequences of their unlawful acts. He feels these individuals gamble on the sporting chance that because others have been lightly dealt with, they will have the same chance of escape. It is indeed unfortunate that more jurists and administrators do not share his insight. The administration of justice goes hand in hand with the fight against criminality. We shall see no abatement in the scourge of lawlessness as long as "soft justice" is the vogue. Our legal machinery in some areas has long since departed from its primary purpose the protection of society. It remains to be -seen how long the people of the nation will tolerate this injustice. (Reprinted from the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin). |