Denn/Johnson/Henry bill would change what’s considered a violent felony
Unwinding our idiotic, wasteful and (lets face it) racist “war on drugs” is going to take time. This isn’t perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.
A bill that would soften the state’s treatment of drug possession felonies and harden its stance on certain violent crimes will be introduced in the Delaware Legislature this week.
Attorney General Matt Denn and a group of lawmakers unveiled Monday a bill that, if passed, would mark the first time specific crimes were taken off the state’s 19-year-old list of violent felonies.
Attorney General Matt Denn and a group of lawmakers unveiled Monday a bill that, if passed, would mark the first time specific crimes were taken off the state’s 19-year-old list of violent felonies.
“We want to make sure the penalties are appropriate for the crimes,” Denn said. “In seeking justice, we have an obligation to reduce statutory (sentences) when they do not fit the crime.”
While the bill removes drug possession from the violent crime list, it adds certain crimes against children and police officers. These add on’s feel like sops to conservatives to me. Protecting children is laudable, but with the way cops have been escalating their violence against citizens that they don’t happen to like, I’m not crazy about that one. And yet, as Prince Otto said, politics is the art of the possible.
Having studied Delaware Criminal Law, I can tell you that Delaware’s criminal code needs a complete over haul. The multiple degrees of rape and drug offenses are overkill, and if Attorney General Denn reforms it, it will be a job well done.
@Delaware Dem:
Delaware’s drug offenses were overhauled in 2011. So, we need another overhaul?
Delaware has four degrees of rape. Each degree is at least a class C felony:
Fourth Degree = class C
Third Degree = class B
Second Degree = class B
First Degree = class A
The difference between the classes is whether there are aggravating factors (e.g., was the victim young, was the offender committing another felony as well, etc.).
Delaware’s statute is not that complicated.
Anytime he wants to tackle environmental law in this state, let me know.