REGRETTING LB POLICE CHIEF JIM MCDONNELL’S DECISION NOT TO CHALLENGE BACA
Tuesday evening, Long Beach Chief of Police Jim McDonnell announced that he would not be running against LASD Sheriff Baca as expected. In the days since, various newspapers have expressed their disappointment that the Sheriff’s biggest competition will be backing out of the race.
Here’s one lamentation from LA Times’ editorial boardmember Sandra Hernandez. Here’s a clip:
Now he says he won’t run for sheriff because it would require too much time spent on fundraising and politicking. His decision, while understandable, is disappointing for many reasons. McDonnell is a well-respected cop who recently served on the county commission that criticized Baca’s management of the jails.
And here’s a clip from a similarly themed Long Beach Press-Telegram editorial:
Well, that’s disappointing. One of the most anticipated races of Southern California’s 2014 election season seems to have fallen apart with Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell’s announcement that he won’t run for Los Angeles County sheriff.
That’s good for Long Beach, but not for the county at large. McDonnell is a smart, talented and highly respected police chief who would have brought welcome competition to the race.
WHY WE SHOULD TAKE JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM SERIOUSLY
The American Psychological Association’s Kerry Bolger, in a notable post for the APA blog “Psychology Benefits Society,” explains the enormous importance of reforming the US juvenile justice system.
Here are the first two reasons listed:
1. Overreliance on incarceration is unnecessary.
Many young people in juvenile correctional facilities are incarcerated for low-level and nonviolent offenses. In 2010, for example, of the 59,000 youths under age 18 confined in juvenile facilities in the U.S., only 1 in 4 was detained or committed for a serious violent offense. About 12,700 kids (1 in 5) were confined only for status offenses (such as truancy, curfew violation, or running away) or technical violations (such as failing to report to a parole officer).
A number of states have shifted their youth justice policies away from overreliance on incarceration, with no accompanying increase in juvenile crime.
2. Incarceration doesn’t reduce future crime.
Juvenile incarceration doesn’t reduce re-offending, but rather increases it, especially among youth with less-serious delinquency histories.
That’s no surprise, considering that youth in juvenile correctional facilities are exposed to more serious offenders and to widespread physical and sexual violence in confinement.
(Read the rest here.)
STILL NO SCOTUS RULINGS ON GAY MARRIAGE (AND OTHER PRESSING ISSUES)
The Supreme Court did not issue rulings on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Prop 8, affirmative action, or the Voting Rights Act. The court will now likely make decisions on the highly anticipated gay marriage cases on June 26 or 27, at the very end of the court’s current term.
HuffPost’s Luke Johnson has a quick update on the cases (and an entertaining little video). Here’s a clip:
The court is first expected to make a decision on Fisher v. University of Texas, challenging the university’s affirmative action policy in college admissions. The justices then will likely rule on the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act along with decisions on the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s gay marriage ban, Proposition 8.