CORRESPONDENT OF THE DAY
Advertisement
Text size: small | medium | large
By Staff Reports
Published: December 31, 2008
It's High Time to Raise Threshold for Felony
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
Your editorial, "Safety Valve," quotes Richard Cullen, who says Virginia probably has "too many nonviolent prisoners locked up." This is truly an understatement.It would be interesting to hear Cullen's take on the felony statute.The felony statute of today classifies $200 as the threshold for a felony. This statute has been in place for more than 50 years, and no one sees the need for a change. Common sense tells us that inflation alone would take this figure to at least $1,000.
The system we have in place is equipped to handle this matter if the figure were to be raised. If the majority of petty repeat crimes were handled as misdemeanors, then the prison system would reflect this commonsense change. Sad to say, common sense rarely finds itself involved in today's political arena.
Stuart B. Fallen, Clerk, Charlotte County Circuit Court.
Charlotte.Post a Comment
The commenting period has ended or commenting has been deactivated for this article.
Can't find what you're looking for? Try our quick search:
