Tough-on-crime approach returns to US state capitals

Just minutes after taking office Monday, Missouri’s new governor, Mike Kehoe, issued a series of orders aimed at combating crime, joining a nationwide trend.

After a period of relaxed sentencing laws, the tough-on-crime stance is gaining support among politicians across the country.

Republicans and Democrats alike are promoting anti-crime initiatives as a new legislative year begins in state Capitols. This comes after voters in several states approved measures at the ballot box imposing stricter penalties for crimes ranging from shoplifting to drug trafficking.

Kehoe, a Republican who won his election by a wide margin, was sworn into office at noon. Shortly after, he announced that he issued orders to capture dangerous fugitives, increase the pay of veteran state police officers and train them to assist federal immigration authorities.

He also said he ordered data to be collected on the immigration status of people facing criminal charges.

“Too many Missourians don’t feel safe, and many of them actually don’t,” Kehoe said. “When people fear for their lives and the lives of their families, they can’t be productive and they won’t prosper.” .

In some states like Missouri, anti-crime measures are intertwined with efforts to apprehend those living in the country illegally, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s priorities. Many are also proposing harsher penalties for trafficking fentanyl, a synthetic opioid blamed for thousands of overdose deaths in the United States each year.

Other measures go further. There are those who promote stricter sentences for sexual crimes involving minors, violent crimes or groups dedicated to shoplifting, which have generated attention due to videos circulating on social networks in which groups of thieves are seen looting. shops.

In Maryland, Democratic state Sen. Ron Watson is promoting an initiative that he said would allow prosecutors to file felony charges against everyone involved in a group robbery if the value of what was stolen exceeds $1,500, even if each person stole less of that.

Criminals “have become brazen because they can get away with it and practically get a reprimand,” Watson said. “Violent or nonviolent, a crime is a crime. And that crime needs to be punished.”

Drug crimes are on target

Utah state representative, Republican Matthew Gwynn, is one of many legislators who are going against those who traffic fentanyl. Gwynn said his bill would impose harsher penalties for selling large quantities of illicit fentanyl than for other drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine.

The federal government and many states have distanced themselves from the policies of the 1980s, during which harsher sentences were imposed for trafficking rock cocaine than for powder cocaine, as civil rights advocates They pointed to a disproportionate impact on minorities.

But Gwynn, who is police chief of Roy, a suburb of Salt Lake City, said the increase in sentences for fentanyl-related crimes is justified.

“I think fentanyl is almost terrorist in nature because of the number of people it can kill,” Gwynn stated.

Many types of crimes increased during the coronavirus pandemic. More recently, rates of violent crime and many property crimes have been declining, although shoplifting remains above pre-pandemic levels, according to the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan group.

But people’s sense of security is not necessarily linked to statistics. High-impact crimes such as the New Year’s Eve attack in New Orleans, the setting on fire of a woman in the New York subway, or the shooting of an insurance company executive outside a New York City hotel can affect the perception of public safety.

“When you see random, brazen crimes, it makes people feel vulnerable and suggests that there is a sense of lawlessness, of a breakdown in norms of behavior,” said Adam Gelb, president and CEO of the Council on Criminal Justice. .

“Many people seem to think that the reforms of the last two decades went too far and need to be evaluated,” he added.

Crime on voters’ minds

Nearly 8 in 10 voters nationwide said they were “very” or “somewhat” concerned about crime in their communities, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters conducted during the last election. The percentage who said they were very worried was higher than the national rate in several states, including Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Alabama and California.

California voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative that makes shoplifting a repeat felony and increases penalties for some drug crimes, including some involving fentanyl.

The measure repealed parts of a progressive law that was approved by voters in 2014, which had reduced several nonviolent crimes to misdemeanors, including thefts under $950 and some drug trafficking or possession offenses.

In Colorado, voters voted at the polls to extend the time people must serve in prison before they can be released on parole for certain categories of murder, assault, sexual misconduct, kidnapping, arson, robbery and robbery. home room.

Arizona voters approved measures increasing penalties for fentanyl sales and extending certain child sex trafficking offenses to mandatory life sentences.

Lenient sentencing laws

Other states changed their minds just a few years after implementing more lenient sentencing laws.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, signed a measure repealing a law passed by voters in 2020 that had made possession of small amounts of hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine punishable by a maximum fine. of 100 dollars.

A new law went into effect last year making it a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and imposing tougher penalties for selling drugs near parks and other places.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, signed several anti-crime laws into law last year, including longer sentences for vehicle theft and fentanyl-related crimes, as well as eliminating parole for most offenders and voiding prison sentences. a law implemented in 2016, under which 17-year-olds were judged as minors and not as adults.

In Missouri, lawmakers passed an overhaul of the state’s criminal laws in 2014 that reduced potential prison sentences for some nonviolent drug crimes. In 2019, they added a law exempting some nonviolent offenders from requirements to serve 40% to 80% of their prison time, making hundreds of people eligible for early release.

This year, Missouri lawmakers are in favor of various anti-crime measures, including bills targeting fentanyl, rioting, shoplifting and resisting arrest. Other measures encourage the recruitment of more police officers.

“Too many Missouri families are being torn apart by violence and crime,” House Speaker Jon Patterson said on the first day of session. “Nothing is more detrimental to the growth of our state than criminals who prowl our streets with little fear of punishment.”

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to the newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.