Huckabee: Justice system 'failed miserably' with Clemmons

[DearAbby]

(CNN) – Mike Huckabee took to the radio airwaves Monday to explain why, as Arkansas governor in 2000, he commuted the nearly 100-year prison sentence of Maurice Clemmons, the man suspected of murdering four police officers in Washington state.
Clemmons was sentenced to 95 years in prison in 1989 for a host of charges, including robberies, burglaries, thefts and bringing a gun to school. Huckabee cited Clemmons' young age - 17 at the time of his sentencing - when he announced his decision to commute the sentence, according to newspaper articles. Clemmons was paroled in August 2000, after 11 years in prison.

On the Monday morning episode of "The Huckabee Report" - the former governor's daily radio commentary - the Republican pointed to "a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington state" as the reason Clemmons was allowed to re-enter society. Repeating what he said in a statement released Sunday night, Huckabee noted that the Arkansas parole board granted Clemmons' parole after he received the commutation.

"He was arrested later for parole violation, taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him," Huckabee told listeners. "It appears that he has continued to have a string of criminal and psychotic behavior, but was not kept incarcerated by either state."

Huckabee, who is considering a making second presidential run in 2012, also spoke to Fox News radio about his decision.

"If I could have known nine years ago, looked into the future, would I have acted favorably upon the parole board's recommendation? Of course not," he said. "One of the things that is horrible and just, again, one of the realities you have to confront is the criminal justice system is far from perfect, and in this case it failed miserably on all sides."


Link
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/11/30/huckabee-justice-system-failed-miserably-with-clemmons/

[Botany]

1. Too late Mike

Source: Politico

UPDATE: Huckabee granted Clemmons clemency -- which required the parole board to approve his release -- rather than a straight-up pardon

November 29, 2009
Categories: Mike Huckabee
A Huckabee clemency* gone awry?

The Seattle Times reports that the man suspected of shooting four police officers in Washington State was granted clemency in Arkansas nine years ago by then-Governor Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee had reportedly pardoned the suspected shooter, Maurice Clemmons, because he was just 17 when his original crimes were committed. (Clemmons was still on parole, and should apparently have been sent back to jail in Arkansas more recently.) But it's a tragic, and politically damaging story of the kind that, with the name Willie Horton attached, helped derail Mike Dukakis's bid for the White House.

And the story also recalls another act of clemency gone awry: Huckabee advocated for parole for a convicted rapist who -- his allies said -- had been railroaded by Huckabee predecessor Bill Clinton. The rapist, Wayne DuMond, was released; he raped and murdered another woman.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1109/Another_Huc...

[librechik]

8. Thanks, I KNEW there was another guy who was let out by Huck only to rape again

Two!

Let that be an end to this Christo-political posturing by the cretinous right.

[zbdent]

9. "because he was just 17 when his original crimes were committed" ...

but then, how many times has Chucklenuts gone on record saying that there are plenty of kids committing adult crimes who should be tried as adults?

and come on, 95 years? And that was under "liberal Clinton's" governorship that the "kid" was put away???

[Withywindle]

2. To which aspect of the "justice system" are you referring, Fuckity?

The prosecutors who vociferously protested you releasing this scumbag?

The court system that incarcerated him in the first place to protect the public, a decision you blithely overrode?

[HopeHoops]

3. D'OH! Ya think there, Huckmeister? Asswipe.

[walldude]

4. Ah the party of personal responsibility strikes again

"Wasn't me it was the justice system". :rofl:

[Botany]

6. read post # 1 (my post)

Huckabee's actions guaranteed that the parole board in Arkansas had to cut the guy loose.

[Turborama]

5. There are 2 words that should be removed from that title

Justice + system.

[Tippy]

7. Huckabee...Good God he was given 95 years....Be truthful now,

Did you do it for votes? Did you try to convert this criminal? Or did some one bribe you?

[Unvanguard]

10. He did nothing wrong. Ninety-five years for a teenager? That's insane.

Just as with the Guantanamo prisoners, the logic of "If some of them are released, they will commit crimes" is corrupt. If we wanted to eliminate every last chance of people committing crimes, it would be necessary to imprison all of us.

[Obamanaut]

14. If he had been say, 23, and did the same thing - would 95 years

have been too much then? He would not have been a teenager.

And your statement would be more accurate if written as "If some of them are released, SOME of them will commit crimes."

Not every prisoner who is released recommits, but some do.

[Unvanguard]

15. Ninety-five years for anyone seems pointlessly punitive.

No reason to expect anyone who stayed in jail that long to be anything resembling the person they were when they went inside--leaving aside the fact that most anyone would be dead by that point. And the marginal deterrent effect of adding more decades to a long prison sentence strikes me as probably minimal.

[Botany]

16. He needed to do every bit of those 95 years and if he was still were he ...

.... belonged those 4 cops would be alive today.

[Unvanguard]

18. And if he had been imprisoned at birth he never would have committed his original crimes.

So?

[Botany]

19. I pity you

In 1990 I had a good friend of mine raped and murdered .... really evil people need to be locked up
and for the rest of their lives.

[Clear Blue Sky]

11. The justice system did NOT fail.

The justice system had this guy locked up for 100 years. It was Huck who failed by releasing him.

[WI_DEM]

12. Excuses, Excuses.

[Subdivisions]

13. Blaming everyone but himself. Typical republican't. n/t

[mitchum]

17. Pass the Buckabee

[Catshrink]

20. No Fuckwad, you did.

[liberalhistorian]

21. You know, as a Christian, I get what Huckalero is saying

about the necessity of forgiveness, redemption and second chances. HOWEVER. That does NOT in ANY way mean lack of accountability for your actions, nor does it mean freedom from having to pay for the consequences of your actions. Far from it. THAT is what Huckalero doesn't appear to understand. There are some people who should just never be let out of prison, for the protection of the rest of us. It's sad, but it's reality.