headlong: blog 
headlong's blog
[office of governor bev perdue] statement from the governor regarding prisoner release: offenders will not be
Published Oct. 22, 2009Views: 199
I Just got home with the Children from Karate and found the following E mail in my account...Thought I would share with those Interested
Beverly Eaves Perdue Governor State of North Carolina Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
Statement from the Governor Regarding Prisoner ReleaseGovernor Says Offenders Will Not Be Turned Loose When I learned that the Supreme Court had issued a ruling that meant offenders serving life in prison would be released after a mere 35 years, I was appalled. Like most of my fellow North Carolinians, I believe life should mean life, and even if a life sentence is defined as 80 years, getting out after only 35 is simply unacceptable. Since that ruling, my staff and I have been doing everything we can to stop the release of these rapists and murderers. These are people who have been denied parole repeatedly, and many who have numerous infractions during their prison stay. I do not believe they are ready for release onto the streets of our communities. While I understand the decision of the Supreme Court, I believe there remain unresolved legal issues that were not addressed. Before Mr. Bowden or any other offender affected by the Court’s decision is turned loose, these issues must be heard. At issue is the application of good behavior credits to these violent offenders serving life sentences since the 1970s. Since last week, we have been scrutinizing the good behavior credits applied to the 20 inmates eligible for immediate release. This morning, legal counsel and Department of Correction staff met with officials who oversaw the application of those behavior credits during the 1980s. At the time, the DOC gave inmates day-for-day credits under the authority of the then-secretary. There is a real question whether the General Assembly intended for the DOC to have that kind of authority. I do not believe they did, and my legal counsel agrees. This raises the very real question that these inmates should not be eligible for early release. Mr. Bowden’s case is in the process of being sent back to the trial court to recalculate his sentence. These issues can be resolved by the courts. Until these new legal issues have been resolved by the courts, Mr. Bowden and the other violent offenders will not be released. ###
_______________________________________________
Filed under: Personal
close12 Comments
![[no avatar]](http://wwwcache.wral.com/presentation/v1/images/golo/noavatar.gif){kind=avatar}
top-voted stories
(24 votes) raleigh man, 39, dies in mo-ped crash
(24 votes) poll: people don't trust politicians
(20 votes) holiday speed enforcement campaign under way
most recent
Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.
You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.
GOLO member since August 2, 2007
October 22, 2009 8:58 p.m.
GOLO member since July 20, 2007
October 22, 2009 9:00 p.m.
GOLO member since September 17, 2007
October 22, 2009 9:03 p.m.
GOLO member since August 2, 2007
October 22, 2009 9:05 p.m.
GOLO member since July 20, 2007
October 22, 2009 9:08 p.m.
GOLO member since February 14, 2008
October 22, 2009 9:09 p.m.
GOLO member since August 2, 2007
October 22, 2009 9:12 p.m.
Yeah let's make NC feel safe Huh???
GOLO member since September 17, 2007
October 22, 2009 9:19 p.m.
GOLO member since November 26, 2007
October 22, 2009 9:24 p.m.
GOLO member since September 17, 2007
October 22, 2009 9:36 p.m.
Please log in to add comment.