LET'S RETHINK SENTENCING GUIDELINES

Tougher penalties could be in store for domestic violence. Making
strangulation a felony, punishable by active prison time, is one of the
changes that a state House committee appears ready to recommend.

That is a good thing, since domestic violence experts have found that
strangling a domestic partner is often a precursor to murder. Putting such
a violent offender behind bars could teach the perpetrator a lesson, and
maybe prevent him from committing such acts again. At the very least, it
could keep the offender off the streets for a while and offer the victim
some time to recover and get needed counseling without having to worry
about another attack.

There are costs associated with such an effort. One estimate suggested that
the new prisons that would have to be built to house these offenders could
go as high as $69 million. And that doesn't include the operating costs of
the new prisons, which could be as high as $29 million a year. One way to
cushion the financial impact to the state's taxpayers would be to rethink
some of our sentencing guidelines, especially for non-violent offenders.

According to a report generated on the Department of Correction Web site,
2,743 people are behind bars in North Carolina for non-trafficking drug
offenses. There are 470 people in prison for non-DWI traffic offenses. And
another 3,989 are incarcerated under the state's habitual felon law, some
of whom don't include violent offenses.

It's a primary role of government to protect law-abiding citizens from
violent criminals. People who harm - whether it be murder, rape or serious
assaults - and people who put life and freedom in jeopardy - should face
severe penalties behind bars. But is putting non-violent offenders behind
bars the right priority, especially when the space is needed for violent
criminals and when the cost of building and operating new prisons is so high?

Those who would strangle a domestic partner - someone the offender
supposedly loves -- should get swift justice behind bars. Let's just make
sure we have room for violent offenders in our prisons. And let's find
another way to deal with many of the non-violent ones.