Dallas News Blog

Commitment to Texas Children only when it comes to financial considerations (which is, admittedly, important). Just try and get a visitation order enforced. There are certainly no constables or officers from the AG's office out enforcing that half of the divorce decrees.

So CP, I guess we can count on you to not complain when they have to RAISE your taxes & such to help pay for the NEW PRISONS, PRISON GUARDS & everything else that will be required to Incarcerate (Not I said INCARCERATE, not REHABILITATE) them. What we need is more Outpatient type treatments or punishement. Day type punishment centers could be created where you could sit & stare at the walls all day (Like a Job) and recieve 1 credit day for this. Or there could be Community Service type work where you could get 5 credit day for this. And if you have to go thru some type of Therapy or such, you would get like 3 credit day. This is a STICK & CARROT approach and also eliminating some of the costly overhead we have maintain MEDICAL, SLEEPING QUARTERS & everything else.

Also if they dont show or comply with this method. Then they could be TOTALLY INCARCERATED. But remember when you lock someone up, they end up learning more criminal behaviors inside.

Uncle Scrappy, I love all of what you said but the death penalty thing. I don't really have sympathy for the guilty, but it costs us 5 times more to kill someone than it does to lock them up for life.

Considering we've caught a few who were exonerated at the last moment we can't really curtail that appeals process. Again, we're talking about policy here. I don't have a problem with torturing the guilty if you wish. Only, I want to be as sure that poor dude is guilty as if he were about to fry.

The reason it costs 5 times as much for a DEATH ROW inmate is because of the endless appeals that are allowed. As I stated, the DEATH PENALITY should only be used when their is absolute no doubt of guilt. Unrefuteable proof. Then it should be Swift & Quick. The courts should be setup so that Death Penalities are Appealed & Decided within 90 days. Courts should literally drop everything & process them. No sitting around for months & years waiting to decide what to do.

Executions are a detterent when they are Swift, Quick & Decisive. Now they are a JOKE. The criminals know it is just the same as a Life sentence or better. Sometimes they can get an appeal won easier on a Death Penality than a Life Sentence.

We need Prison Reform and that includes releasing those who arent a threat & locking up longer those that are. And maybe Euthanizing those that need it.

Don, you have a problem with Judge Cherry? How about this! Several years ago a custodial father brought his ex to court requesting that she be made to pay up back medical and that his two teenagers, which he's had since they were babies, not be forced to comply with visitation. This family had been in court before so the actions and attitude of the mom was already a matter of public record. After months of interviews and counseling, Judge Cherry's case workers recommended that the mom be restricted to supervised visitations. Not only did Judge Cherry ignor this advise, she gave the mom temporary custody and threw out the father's claim for the court ordered support that his ex was already in comtempt of paying. The teenagers, now 18 and 19, have both dropped out of school and the oldest is now on his way to prison!What was Judge Cherry thinking!