[speaker001:] So what are your feelings on the topic today as far as crime in America today?
[speaker002:] Well, I think some of the blame can be placed on plea bargaining and people getting less time and not serving any of the, or a lot less of the,
[speaker001:] [Sniffing].
[speaker002:] time than they're
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] given by the court system, but, I don't know, with the economy the way it is, I think crime can't do much but go up.
[speaker001:] No, I have to, I have to agree with you. I had occasion a couple years ago to hear the r-, s-, Chief of Police of Richardson, Texas speak and, you know, it's a shame [LAUGHTER], a, a criminal today, not a murderer, but a guy that breaks in houses and steals things and, you know, he does this and he does this for a couple of years, hides all the stash and works off of it and then when he gets caught, he'll be sentenced to something like five to seven years, but he gets five days credit for every day he serves. I mean, it's like a bonus to go to jail.
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] So,
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] subsequently, a five year sentence means he's going to be out in, uh, a year on probation. I mean, what he does, the chief said is he just merely goes back to his, his stash where he has it hidden and continues to operate and, uh, when he s-, uses up all that and spends all that money, then he, uh, starts robbing houses again or whatever and gets caught again and goes through the same thing.
[speaker002:] Well, there was an article in our paper Sunday that the average person sentenced to seven to ten years in North Carolina, the average serves six weeks [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Now, see, that's a, you talk about, that's a crime right there.
[speaker002:] Well, see, we don't have any room in our prisons so,
[speaker001:] Well, we don't either, in Texas.
[speaker002:] They shu-, they shuttle them in and shuttle them out and they get them, get them early parole in order to make rooms for the new criminals who stay there for their six weeks and then they're, they're paroled, uh, to make room for the newest criminals and it just, it, it's just really absurd.
[speaker001:] Well, it, it certainly is, and, uh, that would be a huge concern. You know, I don't think the general public really realizes this as far as what goes on with our criminal system, our judiciary system and everything else. It's just, uh, it's terrible the way it is right now.
[speaker002:] I think the general public is so overwhelmed by things right now, so many different things coming in so many different directions that they've just decided to become apathetic towards it all because they realize there's abs-, or they think that there's absolutely nothing they can do about it.
[speaker001:] Yeah, as far as steps to reduce crime, if it's, uh, crimes like we're just been discussing, [NOISE] obviously we, we need more prisons and more corrective facilities to put these people in
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] to, uh, take them off the streets, but I don't think that's going to happen because, just like you said, and our state's a good example, your state's a good example and, it's just not going to happen. As far as the murderers, and people that commit rape and things like that, I'm not sure what's right, but I know it, it's [LAUGHTER] not right to put them in there and let them live for years and years and leers, w-, years before you do execute them or whatever because it's, has to be very costly to feed a prisoner and to
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] clothe him and, you know, to, I'm sure he gets to watch a lot of T V and I'm sure they have, uh, exercise facilities and movies and, and everything else, you know, they can have a good time in.
[speaker002:] Well, I don't know what the answer is, but I know that asking the question over and over and over again isn't working so,
[speaker001:] No, it really isn't. A big, it's a big problem and hopefully something will come out of it. So, I don't know.
[speaker002:] Uh,
[speaker001:] I'm, uh
[speaker002:] I hope so.
[speaker001:] I'm pretty much of a hard person, uh, I believe in capital punishment, I mean, you know, a person rapes a kid or shoots someone or kills someone, I mean, you know, if it's just downright, outright,
[speaker002:] Oh, I definitely believe in capital
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] punishment.
[speaker001:] You bet, I mean, that's the only way to,
[speaker002:] It's when they, it's when they're in, on death row for nineteen years that I don't, I'm kind of c-, curious about.
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah, and you spend thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars to, uh, take care of them and all, you know, it's just unbelievable.
[speaker002:] Yeah, you can appeal now in North Carolina for almost a period of twenty years.
[speaker001:] Can you really?
[speaker002:] Yeah, you can just keep going around and around and around the merry go round until you, I think the, I think it's, uh, the average is eight to ten years to get in to the North Carolina Supreme Court
[speaker001:] God.
[speaker002:] and then, uh, after that it goes to the Supreme Court of the United States and that usually takes another four to six years.
[speaker001:] Oh, I know.
[speaker002:] So it's [throat clearing],
[speaker001:] Meanwhile, you're living in a country club situation perhaps, you know.
[speaker002:] They're hoping, I guess they're, what they're h-, they're trying to prolong their lives and hoping people will forget what they did.
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] But it's just a, we have a serious problem. We have so many problems in this state now and, and the, the thing is the, the thing,
[speaker001:] The drug problem, that's another one.
[speaker002:] The fundamental problem is the, is,