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Criminal Code Revision Proposed - John Dunn
FOX 17 News – By: John Dunn
They are the words that govern Tennessee, but some believe it’s time for some changes.
It’s all about cracking down on crime with new offenses and new punishments.
It has been almost 20 years since lawmakers revised the criminal code, and many believe the changes are long overdue.
Some of the ideas involve longer sentences for first time offenders, and punishing parents whose children commit crimes.
Title 39 of the Tennessee Code is about all things criminal… from rapes to robberies, misdemeanors to murders.
But many believe the words in this book, don’t match what’s happening out on the streets.
"We are looking at different types of criminals, we are looking at repeat offenses that are mind boggling," says Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas.
Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas has made it clear how he feels about repeat offenders, many of whom only served about 30% of their previous sentences.
"We have got to reverse this trend of giving repeat violent felony offenders break, after break, after break," says Chief Serpas.
It’s why he supports a new effort to change the criminal code.
"We need to send a strong message that if you choose to do the crime, you need to be expecting harsh punishment," says Rep. Janis Sontany, (D) Nashville.
It’s been almost 20 years since the last criminal code revision.
Since then computer crimes and identity theft have become major problems.
State Rep. Janis Sontany says it’s also time to look at the punishments criminals receive.
"We did with the crooks with guns two years ago enhance the penalty for 2nd offenses and 3rd offenses, but I think we need to get tough on 1st offenders as well," says Rep. Sontany.
Sontany also wants to address the rise in juvenile crime.
She believes it’s time for parents to take responsibility for their children.
"If the parent is not able to make restitution for property crimes, then they need to be doing some type of community service alongside their child," says Rep. Sontany.
But changing the Criminal Code could also have an effect on prisons. Tougher punishments and longer sentences could create overcrowding.
Metro’s Police Chief says in the end, it comes down to safer streets.
"If there's a cost to do this, let's quit shifting that cost to the citizens who have to live among these thugs and punks, and lets shift that cost back to the prisons where they should be," says Chief Serpas.
The words in this book may be changing, and many hope public safety will improve.
Revising the Criminal Code will be a large undertaking.
It’s possible it could take several years to make all the changes, but Rep. Janis Sontany says the time to start the process is now.
Criminal Code Revision Proposed - John Dunn
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