Yesterday, we were treated to a very clear picture of one of the main differences between the Trump Administration and what we can look forward to under a Biden presidency. The Trump Department of Justice expanded the means of execution for federal prisoners facing the death penalty. At the same time, the Washington D. C. Council announced it would consider the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act. One side moved to make sure the law is enforced while another looked for more ways to put legally convicted violent offenders back onto the street.

It comes as no surprise that there is a marked difference of opinion between Liberals and Conservatives about what is important when it comes to the criminal justice system. But as we continue to wait for the November election to be certified for not only the presidential race but a number of Congressional races as well, we can’t turn a blind eye to how our justice system could very well become the injustice system under a Biden/Harris administration.

While not a federal program and certainly not one openly touted by the so-called President-Elect, D.C.’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act had to be discussed if for no other reason than Biden has not come out against it.

Currently, the law in D. C. “allows inmates to seek early release if they were younger than 18 at the time of their crimes and have spent at least 15 years behind bars.” Note there is no caveat exempting those convicted of violent crimes. In fact, since the original version of the Act was passed in 2017, 53 people have been released under its provisions. I know I shouldn’t be surprised to learn that the “majority of whom were convicted of murder.”

Think about that. Murder.

I guess the only good thing is they aren’t being pardoned–yet. Instead, their sentences are amended to time served.

I wonder how the families of those killed by the young murderers felt when they learned the perps were being released because they were soooo young when the committed the crime. How do you explain to them that the deaths of their loved ones don’t really matter now because it is politically correct to assume the cops did something wrong or that 18 year old who pulled the trigger wasn’t really and adult. Oh, he knew right from wrong, but that doesn’t matter any more.

Supporters of the legislation cite studies showing the brains of teenagers and young adults are not fully mature until age 25. They argue that those who commit crimes at younger ages should not receive adult punishments of decades in prison.:

And that is the kicker here, my friends. The D. C. Council wants to expand the “too young to be treated as an adult” through age 25. That means Joe Blow can be 24 9/10ths years old when he kills three people and, if the amendment goes through, no matter what the jury says his punishment should be, a judge can come along in 15 years and rule that time served is enough.

Hmm, thing they’ll change the voting age? Or how about the legal age to buy cigarettes and booze? After all, if your brain isn’t developed enough that you should be help responsible for your actions, should you be trusted to make an informed decision about who to vote for or whether or not you should smoke or drink?

This isn’t judicial reform. This is judicial destruction. If you take the teeth out of sentencing, there is no reason for anyone to obey the law. Why should they when they know some bleeding heart judge will come along in a few years and pat them on the head and tell them to go home and don’t be bad again?

Not that this should surprise any of us. This is D.C. after all. It hasn’t been that long since the police chief and residents voiced their displeasure over the release of murder suspects by local judges.

Hmm, it’s almost as if they are more concerned about the criminals than they are about the law-abiding citizens. Color me shocked–not.

Now compare that with the Trump Administration’s Department of Justice. Last year, federal executions resumed after a 17 year cessation. However, just as with state death penalty cases, there were problems. Specifically, there were questions raised about the efficacy and availablilty of the drugs used for lethal injections. President Trump and the Justice Department could have sat on their hands and waited to see what happened. But let’s face it. Trump isn’t one to wait for someone else to take action.

Instead, his Justice Department studied the issue and yesterday announced a change to the execution protocol. Specificailly, the new rules will allow for more ways a prisoner can be executed.  If lethal injection isn’t available in the state where the inmate is housed, they can be executed by any legal means allowed by that state: hanging, firing squad, etc. There’s even a provision that allows for the moving of a prisoner facing execution if the state where they are housed does’t allow the death penalty.

Unfortunately, this only applies to federal prisoners and not all death penalty prisoners.

Of course, as CNN noted in its article, assuming Joe Biden does take over the Oval Office, these changes might be short-lived. I fully expect Biden to toss the changes out. After all, he promised judicial “reform” and the liberal harridans are going to want this changed immediately. Not because it is wrong to make sure a legal penalty is applied but because Orange Man Bad.

Okay, also because those same liberal idiots have forgotten that they bear a responsibility to protect the public. There’s going to come a time when they will have to choose whether they want to protect the law-abiding members of their districts or cater to those who saw nothing wrong with drug running, sexual assault or murder. Unfortunately, I have a pretty good idea what their decision will be.

Under a Biden Administration, this is what we have to look forward to:

Fortunately, the new administration will coincide with a time of historic ongoing change in the field of prosecution. Over the last four years, dozens of local prosecutors have been elected on platforms centered on countering mass incarceration, treating substance use as a health issue instead of a crime, ending the criminalization of poverty, holding law enforcement accountable and embracing second chances.”

Don’t get me wrong. There’s a case to be made for much of that statement. But claiming a defendant convicted of a violent crime, one who’s been in prison long enough for the appeals process to ahve worked through the system, is suddenly worthy of release simply because he wasn’t a certain magical age at the time of conviction is a slap in the face of each member of the jury that convicted him. It is a kick in the gut to the families of the victims. Not that liberal are concerned about them.

The Hill suggests that one thing Biden can do is create “a robust task force on ’21st Century  Prosecution’.” This task force “can propel a new national vision of what it means to be a fair and just prosecutor — and a strategy for how to get there.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I have a feeling their idea of a “fair and just prosecutor” doesn’t mean the same thing mine does. To me, that sort of prosecutor not only follows the law but insures that the best interests of the victim and/or their family are considered as well. That prosecutor will not reward police misconduct but they also won’t trample on the jury system or the evidence just because the current “vogue” is to baby the accused.

If someone is old enough to vote, if they are old enough to buy liquor and cigarettes, if they are old enough to swear an oath to serve and protect the Constitution of this great country and join the military, they are also old enough to pay the price for their crimes.

These liberal bleeding hearts have been putting criminals back out onto the streets in ever-increasing numbers for more than a year now. It picked up speed with the protests over the George Floyd shooting and that increased even more with Covid. Police chiefs around the nation are begging for help from state and federal authorities dealing with the increase in the number of violent crimes being committed.  Yet you have the D. C. Council, not to mention members of the Democratic Party, wanting to expand and increase the trend.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust a liberal government that throws away jury verdicts and sentences because of the feelz. I sure as hell don’t trust that government if it also wants to take away my guns.

Yes, there are things wrong with the judicial system. But you don’t fix them by opening the doors to the prisons and telling the inmates they can go roam the streets at will. Justice is not in the business of forgiveness, at least not without there also being consequences applied. Of course, many of those pushing for these changes have never had to face the consequences of their actions. So why should we expect anything else from them?

Whether Biden eventually moves into the Oval Office or not, this is the time to let your legislators, but current and those taking office in January, know how you feel about this issue. Do not stay quiet. Do not sit still. And do make sure you are able to protect yourselves and your families if you live in one of those jurisdictions where the “well-meaning” pols are making it more dangerous for law-abiding citizens.

Featured Image: Justice sign by david_franklin. Licensed via Adobe Stock.