By DAVID MUHAMMAD / TIMES UNION
Senior citizens are highly unlikely to commit more crimes. Why do we continue to deny them opportunities for release?
In the criminal justice system, accountability means more than just punishment. It means answering for your crimes, changing your behavior and working to heal what has been broken.
For too long, our criminal justice system has neglected the final steps in this process, ignoring the valuable role parole can play in fostering rehabilitation and healing.
And, with few options for release, our prison population has gotten older and sicker, costing state taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. That’s why I support reasonable reforms to give incarcerated people who have truly reformed a chance to be considered for release…