Repeat Offenders Want Second Chance

(Cleveland, Ohio) An Ohio lawmaker introduced a proposed law that would help convicted repeat offender felons to obtain employment. State Sen. Shirley Smith gathered a forum at Cleveland State University yesterday to discuss her proposed legislation.

If passed, the law would allow the criminal records of felons to be sealed or expunged after staying out of trouble for five years. Supposedly, the law would apply to low-level repeat offenders who deserve redemption.

Proponents say the new law would apply only to low-level nonviolent offenders, an assertion that was questioned at the forum.

Senate Bill 197, as it is currently written, includes felonies such as manslaughter, reckless homicide, domestic violence, stalking and abduction, said Victor Vigluicci, prosecutor for Portage County. He feels that these crimes are too violent to qualify for expungement.

Several panelists and most audience members disagreed, noting that a judge's discretion could solve this potential problem.

First of all, if manslaughter, et al., are low-level nonviolent crimes, I'm Donald Trump.

Secondly, when I think of nonviolent crimes, forgery, fraud, counterfeiting and embezzlement come to mind. Now, if a person is a repeat embezzler or forger, I don't believe prospective employers would like the information hidden from them.

Lastly, I'm not without sympathy for the plight of felons after they complete their time and I believe in redemption. Individuals can achieve redemption in the eyes of God and in the eyes of those who were harmed, but I don't believe that people can be redeemed by passage of a law.

And, unless there's a new arithmetic, it's impossible to give repeat offenders a second chance. As repeat criminals, they've already used up their first and second chances. As a minimum, repeat offenders should be asking for a third chance.