The recent op-ed entitled “Serial criminals on the loose” (Opinion, June 27) requires a fact-based response. Violent criminals are serving lengthy prison sentences that fit their crimes. We know that while recidivism is a growing epidemic nationwide, crime in Atlanta has been significantly reduced in recent years. Yet unfortunately, some have accused Fulton County judges of abetting repeat offenders. This claim is not true.
Curbing recidivism requires more than merely identifying and incarcerating defendants for long stretches. That strategy has been flatly rejected by the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform, a statewide bipartisan group of elected officials, policymakers and citizens. The problem is far more complex than a list of repeat offenders provided by the city of Atlanta.
Unless we 1) collectively address the systemic barriers of insufficient job skills and education, homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse, and 2) adequately fund and increase the availability of effective programs focusing on these issues, individuals with addictions, mental illness and other deficits will continue to commit crime, threatening the safety and peace of mind of their families and fellow citizens.
In large measure, repeat offenders are drug users committing crimes against property. While some advocate that persons with multiple arrests are a community nuisance and, upon arrest, should be routinely denied bond and probation, as constitutional judicial officers, we execute our responsibilities thoughtfully and deliberately in accordance with the law and our oath of office. Each case must be decided based on its own facts and the strength of the evidence presented.
Doing away with probation is not the answer. We are working with the district attorney and Department of Corrections to ensure any defendant given a probated sentence in Fulton County will be supervised properly, and that tougher sanctions will be imposed when probation conditions are violated.
Studies indicate a person’s proclivity toward criminal behavior has not been eradicated by the conclusion of his or her prison sentence. Since serving time does not assure us that non-violent offenders will be rehabilitated or redirected, given the considerable cost of prison, taxpayers’ money could be better spent in funding accountability courts, evidence-based treatment programs, and re-entry initiatives that successfully provide defendants with the treatment and life skills they need.
The Atlanta police chief’s proposed “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” fixes run afoul of the clear findings and recommendations of the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform and the initiatives passed by the Georgia General Assembly. The Atlanta Judicial Circuit is on the right track with its accountability courts and other community-based alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders.
Any expectation for an immediate local fix for resolving this nationwide challenge is short-sighted. Citizens should know that the judges and the stakeholders of the Atlanta Judicial Circuit are committed to helping engineer collaborative, comprehensive solutions that will help protect all citizens and enhance the quality of life for the community we proudly serve.
Gail S. Tusan is chief judge of Fulton County Superior Court, Atlanta Judicial Circuit.
