Governor Phil Bredesen has requested that the Tennessee Department of Correction cut nine percent of their annual budget. George Little, TDOC commissioner, told the governor that in order to satisfy that request, they will most likely have to release around 4,000 convicted felons back onto the street.

Commissioner Little said any felon who would be released would be either “non-violent,” or one who is nearing the end of their prison term. If someone is serving prison time for a felony offense, we must trust that our courts, judges and juries felt there was compelling evidence that those felons should be there.

It is not good policy to compromise public safety for the sake of saving money. There is plenty of waste in government that can be cut that doesn’t involve releasing criminals back into society. The basic and fundamental responsibility of government is to protect the public safety. As much as I support a balanced budget, if legislators resort to releasing felons from jail in order to help clear their books, it will represent a failure on their part to protect you and properly administer justice.

The best indicator of future behavior is past behavior. Very few “non-violent” offenders are in state prison for a first-time criminal conviction. In most all cases, they have more than one victim and a demonstrable record of criminal behavior. In order to become an inmate in a state prison, a criminal offense must have been serious enough to warrant incarceration for more than one year ~ a felony.

Also, I have found there is a very thin-line between non-violent offenders and violent offenders. A “non-violent” burglar or thief who is brazen enough to break into someone’s home or come onto someone’s property and take what is not theirs is very capable of hurting or killing if caught in the act or otherwise confronted. The potential for violence is inherent in every criminal act.

Some consider drunk drivers to be “non-violent” offenders, but when they crash head-on into other vehicles and take the lives of innocent people, the non-violent label no longer applies. All drunk-drivers are potentially violent offenders. Who wants to be the one to explain to a parent that their child(ren) was killed by a non-violent drunk driver who had been released from prison early to save money?

Many consider drug offenses to be “non-violent,” but drug enforcement agents understand weapons most always accompany illegal drug activity. And ruining someone’s life through addictions and the sale and distribution of drugs is one of the worst forms of violence against another. Don’t be fooled into thinking just because someone doesn’t rape, assault or murder, they are a “non-violent” offender who should be rewarded with early release because of budget considerations.

Many crimes are never reported. Of those that are reported, many are never solved. Of those that are reported and solved, there will be those who are not convicted. So when a criminal ~ especially a felon ~ is caught, tried and convicted, they should serve their time. We don’t need to be interfering with that process because government can’t control spending. In the long run, releasing felons early is more expensive than keeping them incarcerated.

For more information about the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office, visit us online at: www.bradleysheriff.com. You can also contact us by calling (423) 728‑7300, or writing to: Bradley County Justice Center, 2290 Blythe Ave., SE, Cleveland TN 37311. If you would like to reach me directly, email: comments@bradleysheriff.com