Vance Gosselin
Prof. Norling
PHIL A120 MW
15 Nov. 2016
Response Paper
“As a sheriff, I know that jail is not always the answer” written by Al Cannon Jr. for The Washington Post is an opinion piece that challenges the idea that all law-breaking offenders including those that commit nonviolent offences are deserving of jail time. The piece begins with the example of a young mother reported shoplifting groceries by store officials at a Walmart store in Charleston, South Carolina. This example of a nonviolent offence is a moral issue that our author, who is also a sheriff of Charleston County has encountered several times before. He then claims that if this encounter had taken years prior, that the outcome would have been different than what is was. However, luckily for the young mother, a new approach coined “cite and release,” allows “low-level, nonviolent [offenders]” the ability …show more content…
Altogether, this opinion piece reflects on the issue of the criminal justice system, issues with increasing numbers of incarceration of low-level offenders. Due to the nature of the example the author provides us, I believe that the author’s stance on nonviolent offenders receiving jail time is unnecessary and should be avoided if possible. The author is aware that “law-enforcement leaders [must] acknowledge that serious problems exist in our criminal justice systems and that reform begins with [them].” Cannon carries on to stating that “Law-enforcement leaders need to develop fair and effective approaches that reflect [their] commitment to public safety while giving people the best chance to succeed and lead productive lives,” and in this case the author means avoiding incarceration of offenders that are able to turn their lives
Prof. Norling
PHIL A120 MW
15 Nov. 2016
Response Paper
“As a sheriff, I know that jail is not always the answer” written by Al Cannon Jr. for The Washington Post is an opinion piece that challenges the idea that all law-breaking offenders including those that commit nonviolent offences are deserving of jail time. The piece begins with the example of a young mother reported shoplifting groceries by store officials at a Walmart store in Charleston, South Carolina. This example of a nonviolent offence is a moral issue that our author, who is also a sheriff of Charleston County has encountered several times before. He then claims that if this encounter had taken years prior, that the outcome would have been different than what is was. However, luckily for the young mother, a new approach coined “cite and release,” allows “low-level, nonviolent [offenders]” the ability …show more content…
Altogether, this opinion piece reflects on the issue of the criminal justice system, issues with increasing numbers of incarceration of low-level offenders. Due to the nature of the example the author provides us, I believe that the author’s stance on nonviolent offenders receiving jail time is unnecessary and should be avoided if possible. The author is aware that “law-enforcement leaders [must] acknowledge that serious problems exist in our criminal justice systems and that reform begins with [them].” Cannon carries on to stating that “Law-enforcement leaders need to develop fair and effective approaches that reflect [their] commitment to public safety while giving people the best chance to succeed and lead productive lives,” and in this case the author means avoiding incarceration of offenders that are able to turn their lives