IntenseDebate - JohnNeff

15 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Delhi dam an asset wor... · 0 replies · +1 points

How would you like to live below a dam that is owned and operated by a home owners association?

15 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Is southeast Iowa City... · 0 replies · +1 points

That should be Highway 6 E.

15 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Is southeast Iowa City... · 14 replies · +3 points

I think this article is fair and balanced. It would be helpful if southeast Iowa City were defined. It could be either all of Iowa City east of Capital St. and south of Iowa Avenue or it could be all of Iowa City east of the Iowa River and south of Highway 6 W.

The areas that have many calls for police services per square block are not very large and they are surrounded by residential areas where the rates of calls for service per square block do not differ from those in other parts of the city. It would be helpful if news reports the were more specific in giving the location of a problem.

15 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Iowa prison population... · 1 reply · +4 points

I think the proper headline for your report is "No obvious trend in the number of Iowa prisoners."

16 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Mentally ill don't bel... · 0 replies · +2 points

Mental illness, personality disorders and developmental disabilities tend to be combined by corrections staff into a single group so think it would be difficult to make a general statement about the mental state of violent criminals. I also have the impression that clinical studies on personality disorders are not very reproducible.

It is an interesting speculation but difficult to prove at this time.

16 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Mentally ill don't bel... · 0 replies · +5 points

Dealing with a person that is a threat to the safety of themselves and others is difficult under the best of circumstances. Mental illness is a serious aggravating factor and most jails are ill prepared to deal with mentally ill prisoners. This problem is compounded because persons with a history of assaulting the staff at a mental health facility very likely will be refused admission and jail is the only realistic alternative.

I am very pleased that the Sheriffs are involved in educating the public about the severity of this problem.

16 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Report: 16 percent of ... · 0 replies · +1 points

The 12,215 is probably the estimated populations of both prison and jail populations. The number Iowa prison inmates is well determined and the estimated percentage that are mentally ill has been improving but the 2005 estimate may not have been that good.

If the estimate of the number of jail inmates is based on the Iowa Jail Inspectors annual report it is probably not too bad but if it is based on the Bureau of Justice Statistics survey it is mot much better than a guess. The percentage of jail inmates that are mentally ill is very poorly determined.

They should have given a range fro the percentage of mentally ill inmates not a single percentage.
My best guess is the ranges are 15% to 30% for males and 25% to 50% for females.

With our assembly line criminal justice system at the simple misdemeanor level the least expensive option for an innocent person is to plead guilty, pay the fine and move on. If incarceration is a possible outcome it is worthwhile to contest the charge (if you have the money).

16 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Jail diversion program... · 0 replies · +3 points

In FY09 there were 1,156 bookings at the jail for first offense public intoxication where there was no prior contact with the Sheriff's Office. This set of persons were held an average of 8 hours and all were released within 24 hours.

If a substantial fraction of this set of offenders had been diverted there would have been no reduction in the demand on the jail intake facility. I think the benefits of the proposed diversion program are more indirect.

I agree with Janet that education and treatment need to to be given greater emphasis in the justice system. We are spending a lot on retribution with no measurable benefits.

16 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Linn County Sheriff's ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Sorry to respond so late I missed this article. My problem with the comparison is that
Johnson County Sheriffs Office uses comp time more than overtime. I have no idea what Linn County Sheriffs Office policy is with respect to comp time and overtime and I
do not know if you included comp time in your comparison.

16 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - State homicide rate ju... · 0 replies · +2 points

The appears to be a discrepancy in what the Iowa Department of Public Safety is reporting. The IBR report on their web page for 2007 list 48 homicides not 37. The IBR reports for 2000 to 2007 gives a range of 49 to 65 homicides with an average of 58 not 50. Those seem like large differences to me.

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