Sunday, July 29, 2007

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Nonviolent Offenders Act Violently

The Connecticut parole board apparently is surprised that two "nonviolent" offenders have suddenly committed one of the most heinous crimes in the history of the state. While it was true that each one of this team of offenders had at least twenty burglaries in their past, the board claimed they felt serving one third of their most recent sentences seemed appropriate. Robert Farr, the chairman of the board, was shocked saying their behavior didn't fit the normal mode.

But, now, Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, of Cheshire, and Steven Hayes, 44, of Winsted have been charged with assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, arson, larceny and homicide. Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, was strangled and her daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela, died of smoke inhalation. Mr. Petit was beaten but survived. Hawke-Petit and the youngest daughter, Michaela, were both raped.

This is the problem with prediction. Psychopaths are not predictable. Furthermore, the parole board only knew what the men were convicted of, not what they might have been charged with (like rape which was plead down to burglary when the evidence wasn't strong enough) and what they have never been arrested for (like other burglaries, possible rapes, and maybe serial killings).

When these men re-offended, they should have gotten a stronger sentence. When they offended again, they should have gotten a very long sentence. One crime might be a stupid mistake, twice proves you haven't learned your lesson, and three times pretty much tells me I don't want that offender to have another chance. While we were giving these two creeps a short sentence of a few years, we gave a mom and her two daughters the death penalty and her husband and all her relatives and friends a life sentence.

The next time we parole these criminals to halfway houses we better ask what they are half the way to doing and who they are going to be doing it to.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

2 comments:

Levi said...

Sometimes, nonviolent criminals can "get each other going" so that they move onto other more violent crimes. These two were roommates at a halfway house. So they often egged each other on to worse acts. They feed of each other.

Both of them have rap sheets a mile long. If the state had the 3 strikes your out law, the victims would be alive.

Laurel O'Keefe said...

WE do have a three strikes law in Conn, but the prosecutors never use it, many of the courts here are run by prosecutors and the judges have become little more than officiary's giving a nod to whatever plea deal of descision the pros made with the defense attorney/public defender-the three strikes law we have is a guideline and gives the court the discretion which they dont take-there has been an unspoken dictum from above that only he worst of the worst violent offenders go to prison due toovercrowding. the parole board is a jole and the prosecuots have been refusing to give them the paperwork mandatory in making decisions who to let go early-sentencing trascripts arrest warrent reports etc. fOR anyone to wind up with that many actual felonies they committed twice that at least-the state should be sued and everyone of these lacodaisical corrupt civil servents cleaned out of the house!