9 Dec 2015
A national conference was held in Washington, D.C. this fall. While the goal of the conference – to suggest significant changes to our criminal justice system – was not particularly unusual, the list of attendees might surprise you. They included 130 police chiefs, sheriffs and prosecutors from across the country. Among them were:
- David Brown, Police Chief, Dallas, Texas
- Charles McClelland, Police Chief, Houston, Texas
- Greg Hamilton, Sheriff, Travis County, Texas
- William McManus, Police Chief, San Antonio, Texas
- Susan Hawk, District Attorney, Dallas, Texas
- Remon Green, Police Chief, Texas Southern University, Texas
- Will Johnson, Police Chief, Arlington, Texas
- Jody Lay, Police Chief, Terrell, Texas
- Matthew Orwig, former U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Texas
The genesis of the conference was the concern, which has been widely publicized, over the fact that the United States – ‘home of the free’ – is the country with by far the highest level of incarceration in the world. Add to that what many consider to be the dismal failure of the war on drugs, leading to our jails and prisons being stuffed with drug users, and you have the makings of some serious questions about how well our criminal justice system is working. Among the topics on the agenda were the following:
- Diversion programs for marijuana possession charges.
- Citations, not jail, for minor theft and shoplifting charges.
- Programs to deal with homelessness, mental illness, and substance abuse issues, particularly when a minor offense is involved.
- Changes to mandatory minimum sentencing laws, particularly for drug offenses, minor crimes, and offenses that do not pose a risk to community safety.
One of the difficulties cited by those in attendance is the many layers of the system. Criminal charges and enforcement mechanisms exist on the federal level, the state level, and the county and local levels. The conference called on the President to appoint a commission to examine the entire criminal justice system at all levels. The hope is that the scope of incarceration can be reduced, and with it we can lessen the enormous expenditure of law enforcement resources now devoted to minor offenses.
Law Office of David D. White, PLLC
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Austin, TX 78701
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