People discuss criminal justice system, rehabilitation of violent offenders

JACKSON, Tenn. — Being a repeat offender is common among violent criminals, and many people believe more work can be done to protect additional victims from these offenders.

“Yes, we want to rehabilitate people who can be rehabilitated, but we also have a duty to protect society from people who commit crimes that’s part of criminal justice reform, too. [It] should be,” said Jody Pickens, district attorney for Tennessee’s 26th Judicial District.

According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, over the past 10 years, the recidivism rate in Tennessee has been slowly decreasing.

That means the state is seeing fewer repeat offenders, and that’s largely due to criminal justice reform.

“We cannot just lock people up and throw away the key because 97 percent of our people who are incarcerated will be coming back out into the communities,” said April Buckner, the Correctional Administrator of Rehabilitative Services for the Tennessee Department of Correction.

Many people are wondering what happens when offenders of violent crimes are released back into society and commit yet another violent crime.

In June of 2007, Dannie Richard Gately Jr. pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, leaving the scene of an accident and tampering with evidence. He was only sentenced to 11 years in prison.

District Attorney Pickens says some inmates end up serving less time than their actual sentence.

“We talk about people who get say, a 10-year sentence, for example, and they serve 30 percent of it. Well, we sit down, and we talk to the victim’s family, and we say 10 years doesn’t really mean 10 years; it means 30 percent of 10 years. May even mean less than that,” Pickens explained.

Gately was released from prison, but in September of 2019, he was arrested again for the alleged rape of a child.

Pickens says while it is a goal to rehabilitate citizens back into society, it is a priority to keep citizens safe.

“You can rehabilitate those who have violated, but when you’re talking about deterrence and also protecting society, then you’re looking at things like truth in sentencing,” Pickens said.

“You hear it, and 30 seconds later you’re going on with your life, but when it hits home the way that it has with our family, it has an impact,” said Michael Harris, the father of a victim.

In July of 2017, 21-year-old Michael Harris of Jackson was shot and murdered by a 16-year-old on East University Parkway in north Jackson.

“He was so kind, he was so nice, and he was my best friend,” Harris said.

Harris says while out on bond, the suspect took another life.

“Sometimes I wish he would have gotten more time; sometimes I wish he would have gotten life, but we’re talking about a 16-year-old kid. The justice system plays a big role in it. Their part is important, and they can probably do more, but they’re not the complete answer,” Harris said.

Buckner is taking a different approach when it comes to violent offenders.

“They’ll be living next door to you; they’ll be sitting in the same restaurant you’re in; they’ll be in the Walmarts and Home Depots, and what we are doing is we are preparing them before they come out,” Buckner said.

Buckner introduces inmates to resources like the Cognitive Behavior Intervention Program.

“That assists with a lot of the aggression. It also deals in part with social skills, getting along, and using conflict resolution,” Buckner said.

“When we talk about criminal justice reform, there are many facets, and I hope that people look at all facets of it when we’re having that conversation,” Pickens said.

“I don’t have the answer. I don’t know what it is, but I just know that we have to love each other a little bit more, just a little bit more,” Harris said.

Officials say the criminal justice system is continuously evolving, and the primary goal is to maintain society’s safety.