Should Raphael B. Johnson be appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners?

[dtwspartan]

Yes, Raphael Johnson should be appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners. He has served his sentence and paid his debt to society. He has proven over the long term that he can live a crime-free and productive life. And he is uniquely qualified to give insight from the perspective of both the criminal and the normal citizen. In a city like Detroit, where crime is a major problem, he will be an asset. He should have the opportunity to fully participate in society.

The comments on here to contrary are representative of how we generally treat felons and why there is such a high recidivism rate in this country. If you don't give people the opportunity to work, be productive and become a part of the community, they go back to what they know -- committing crime. Of course, there are some folks who will never change. But there is a segment that can become productive with support. Mr. Johnson is a prime example.

[laurin]

Yes, Raphael Johnson should be appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners. He has served his sentence and paid his debt to society. He has proven over the long term that he can live a crime-free and productive life. And he is uniquely qualified to give insight from the perspective of both the criminal and the normal citizen. In a city like Detroit, where crime is a major problem, he will be an asset. He should have the opportunity to fully participate in society.

The comments on here to contrary are representative of how we generally treat felons and why there is such a high recidivism rate in this country. If you don't give people the opportunity to work, be productive and become a part of the community, they go back to what they know -- committing crime. Of course, there are some folks who will never change. But there is a segment that can become productive with support. Mr. Johnson is a prime example.

Congratulations for him in turning his life. However, one of those consequences for killing someone may just be that the public is going to be excited/willing to put you into office. No one is saying that he shouldn't work/be productive, but putting a convicted murdered in office is going to be unsavory to many, many people. It's another drawback and long-term consequence in making such a horrible decision as murder.

[kraig]

After a convicted pedophile has served his time and paid his debt to society. Would you let him care for your children? Like I said, there's still a line of plain old common sense that needs to come into play.

[firstandten]

After a convicted pedophile has served his time and paid his debt to society. Would you let him care for your children? Like I said, there's still a line of plain old common sense that needs to come into play.

Not a good comparision, we're talking about a hotheaded, immature teenager who made a terrible choice and is unlikely to do anything like that moving forward versus someone who has a personality/mental disorder who for the rest of his life will try to keep his urges in check.

[kraig]

Not a good comparision, we're talking about a hotheaded, immature teenager who made a terrible choice and is unlikely to do anything like that moving forward versus someone who has a personality/mental disorder who for the rest of his life will try to keep his urges in check.

I think it's a fair comparison. But why bother even arguing the point? If the powers that be decide that he is an appropriate choice for the board of Police Commisioners, so be it. Dateline cometh.