[speaker001:] okay um
[speaker002:] about crime um what are your concerns
[speaker001:] well my uh uh basic concern is that overall we have uh such a overcrowding in the prisons now that uh judges are actually
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] uh basing their decisions on what they do with criminals once they are caught
[speaker002:] right I agree
[speaker001:] that uh probation and stuff like that is uh becoming more and more prevalent uh prevalent and more people are getting out a year earlier and so there's less you know motivation for people to you know deterrent I guess the deterrent value has gone down
[speaker002:] I know it I agree right yeah I know it they've taken the deterrent out of crime anymore it seems like and just I don't know I'd never I don't think the punishment fits the crime on most of these things anyway uh some people just get a slap on the wrist for murder it seems like and then others get you know a a horrible sentence for practically nothing I just can't understand you know what they're of course I know I think dope has a lot to do with a lot of the crimes we have and dope and
[speaker001:] yeah um-hum
[speaker002:] all that sort of stuff but and I think they've tied policemen's hands a lot too on some you know some laws out there tied their hands where they you know can't arrest them or can't shoot or anything like that
[speaker001:] yeah I know it's a
[speaker002:] you can't shoot a fleeing felon or something oh you know just ridiculous
[speaker001:] yeah it gets sort of hard and then uh they get information from people and their attorney isn't present and they can't use it you know because they just assumed that the guy was you know tortured or beaten into uh giving his confession
[speaker002:] yeah yeah um-hum right absolutely absolutely and and these lawyers I get so made at them because they or defense lawyers any way they just seem like they
[speaker001:] no
[speaker002:] get these guys out on the flimsiest excuses you know and uh I don't know really makes me mad some of these things that they come up with that I just can just boggles my mind that a judge is even I remember reading in the paper where a a guy was suing uh let's see who was he suing the parents of this girl he had murdered because he said if they had been stricter parents she wouldn't have been out and he wouldn't have murdered raped and murdered her and so he was suing them and I thought that shouldn't have even come to court you know that should have been laughed out of court isn't that pitiful I
[speaker001:] yeah that I don't what ever happened but that is amazing oh brother
[speaker002:] I hear your little baby crying
[speaker001:] yeah yeah he's a little upset he doesn't see me
[speaker002:] is he bless his heart oh
[speaker001:] so he's like oh where'd you go you disappeared down here Stephen um
[speaker002:] how old is he
[speaker001:] he's uh ten months
[speaker002:] oh ten months my goodness
[speaker001:] um-hum yeah he's getting to be a big boy really
[speaker002:] is that your only child
[speaker001:] uh no I have another one that's two
[speaker002:] oh oh my goodness you guys have your hands full don't you
[speaker001:] well yeah both of them in diapers
[speaker002:] oh my goodness
[speaker001:] yeah that's a that's a little of a work load
[speaker002:] two boys yeah I guess that's uh oh my
[speaker001:] yeah but uh my wife's home during the day so
[speaker002:] oh okay
[speaker001:] so she uh she does has most of the fun time
[speaker002:] that helps yeah yeah you get to come home and really enjoy them probably
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] oh okay back to crime we're supposed to find out what let's see what are our concerns or what do we think did she say what what do do do we can solve it or something I think
[speaker001:] yeah right um-hum
[speaker002:] I'm like you I think the judges need to or I don't know build more prisons I don't care you know or and execute some of these guys that are on death row you know
[speaker001:] yeah I think that's probably the that that seems to be the guiding factor with the judges they say hey we'd like to convict more of them but you know we don't have a place to put them so what are we supposed to do
[speaker002:] yeah right and if they would you know when they send these guys to the death penalty kill them you know quit wasting our taxpayers' money by having appeals appeals appeals appeals just get them on and kill them and go on with it you know and
[speaker001:] and uh  yeah right
[speaker002:] empty there's there's a bunch on death row we'd empty a lot bunch of beds if we'd uh uh you know do what we're supposed to do and get on with it but and to me that that's a
[speaker001:] yeah right if you don't want to have the death penalty take it away but you know make up your mind hum
[speaker002:] that's right and if you know if uh uh I know Texas is one of the leading ones that we we've probably executed probably more than I think Texas Florida
[speaker001:] Florida yeah and Louisiana
[speaker002:] and Alabama yeah yeah the southern states are are more into that and
[speaker001:] yeah I know they have it up here but it takes you know
[speaker002:] they just keep appealing it appealing it appealing it yeah
[speaker001:] yeah uh-huh
[speaker002:] and then they just get out for
[speaker001:] and it's going to take a few years for it to kick in
[speaker002:] yeah and then they get out for good behavior you know and that makes but see I don't care what they say I think the death penalty is a deterrent to some to to to some extent and you know
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] about did did you watch sixty minutes the other night about criminals those prisoners being given a free education from Boston University and I thought and I thought golly and this uh one guy said you know if they want to give out a free education there is a lot of poor people that'll like to have a uh degree from B U you know why give it to these criminals who aren't going to be able to use it anyway you know and I just
[speaker001:] yeah right um-hum
[speaker002:] makes me sick that they could they're mollycoddle I remember down here one time the judge ordered the uh I think the prisoners complained that didn't have color TV so they had to give them colored TV as a cruel and unusual punishment because they didn't have colored TV they had to watch black and white oh God
[speaker001:] um-hum right  oh my word yeah I I think the deterrent would uh really make a difference tha t and
[speaker002:] oh
[speaker001:] you know uh paying cops a little bit more you know because the police officers we have they're either you know there are some that have that are actually going corrupt because they don't get any money and there are some that
[speaker002:] yeah yeah sure
[speaker001:] the best quality people are not going into the force because they say hey you know there's better things I can do you know
[speaker002:] that's right my son in law is a police man here and um he makes he makes pitiful I his wife makes more than he does and I think that's a shame that that happens
[speaker001:] um-hum there's yeah there's some people that are dedicated and will do it anyway and then there's some that you know the police department would say well it actually would like to turn this particular person down but we need them you know
[speaker002:] yea h that's the way he um-hum yeah right right
[speaker001:] and um I'm sure you
[speaker002:] or they're forced into you know having so many minorities and whether they're qualified or not they hire them because they have to have that ratio Blacks and Whites and Hispanics so they uh that's uh what's happening to a lot of them I think they're getting and these guys probably aren't good cops anyway but they were in the right place at the right time and the right minority so they they're getting on I'm I'm sure I know there's some good minority policeman but
[speaker001:] yeah right
[speaker002:] uh they're not applying for the job I mean it's the minorities but they're not applying for the jobs especially
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] and I think quotas like and they do have quotas I guarantee you they've got quotas they have to have so many
[speaker001:] um yeah right
[speaker002:] and uh like I say whether and that's the same with the fire department anything else and
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] if they're not qualified they shouldn't have it you know I don't think they should lower the standards just so they can pass the test or anything and that's what they do a lot they just lower the standards a little bit and that way more people qualify and I think that's
[speaker001:] um-hum right um-hum right I think that that is true well I better get going see what he's doing
[speaker002:] okay we've had our five minutes haven't we
[speaker001:] okay thank you bye-bye
[speaker002:] thank you bye-bye