"When I look outside and these worlds collide . . . And everything's explodin'"

In a move reported by the Midland Reporter-Telegram and commented on by the excellent blog Grits for Breakfast-- and dutifully ignored by the Amarillo Globe-Republican-- local boy made good Kel Seliger is calling for probation reforms that include reducing maximum probation term to five years.

Most sensible people listen to the probation officers, who say they can easily tell within that time if someone will re-offend. Those of us who have worked caseloads of any kind understand that this reform-- which could reduce caseloads-- would enable probation officers to better monitor their probationers and provide services that would better help them to readjust to society and, hopefully, stay on the outside.

Of course, there are law-and-order Republicans (including the Midland DA) who will see this suggestion as being soft on crime. Which is probably why you haven't seen an article or editorial in the Globe-Republican. Imagine, for example, if our Mr. Kanelis were forced to construct an editorial that kissed up to Kel, as required by the Globe-Republican stylebook, yet simultaneously repeated the Republican party line.

Even to attempt something like that could have catastrophic consequences...



spacedark