ELANORE ROOSEVELT BEATS THE LEGISLATURE AGAIN

It looks like the New Jersey legislature is going to legislate to end the charade of the death penalty. This brings forth the question of what is to be done with the collection of monsters cooling their heels on death row. Since the high priests of law formerly known as the Supreme Court won't let the state actually carry out the will of the people in this matter, the "people's branch" of government might as well bow to their betters. What were they thinking anyway? Did they think they could defy the keepers of the eternal flame of Elenore Roosevelt!

But here's a question to ponder. When the legislature assures you that they will keep these monsters locked up, ask yourself, locked up where exactly? When a felon is sentenced he/she is remanded to the custody of the Commissioner of Corrections to be confined. But anyplace the Commissioner of Corrections deems "a place of confinement" is a place of confinement. Some of those places deemed to be places of confinement are just halfway houses. When I left government there were about 24 of them. They're all over the state. So should some future Corrections Commissioner deem one of them suitable for say, Ambrose Harris, old Ambrose could be heading to a neighborhood near you.

Think the court wouldn't force them to do this someday? I seem to remember a case where the Supreme Court not only forced the Parole Board to parole a cop killer, but they made up a whole parole plan just for him, designating a particular city and a particular halfway house. Perhaps they also dictated his breakfast menu. It's been a while and I'm forgetting details. I do remember he re-offended within a year. Oh well, just don't kid yourselves about anyone in this state standing up to the Supreme Court. Justice is what they say it is and you'll just have to live (or die) with that.