Republican Lt. Governor Candidate Ruth Briggs King today criticized Attorney General Kathy Jennings and her allies in the Legislature for the fact that Delaware has the second highest rate of criminals reoffending after being let out of prison and noted that her opponent, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has not done enough to assist law abiding citizens who suffer the consequences.
“Once again, we see across the state case after case of criminals committing more crimes while out of probation or supervision due to the Attorney General’s soft on crime attitude with the support of the most liberal members of the Legislature,” said Briggs King to a group in the city. “We need to end the revolving door for violent criminals who plague communities across the state and put first things first for the law abiding citizens of this state.”
As of 2023, Delaware’s recidivism rate is the second highest in the nation behind only Alaska. AG Jennings took office after being elected in 2018 succeeding her fellow Democrat Matthew Denn. The last Republican Attorney General, Jane Brady, left office in 2005 to accept a judicial appointment.
Sen. Kyle Evans Gay has been the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee since 2021 as a newly elected official. During her tenure, she has supported several bills which have eroded law enforcement’s ability to effectively police our streets and prevent recidivism. These include the gun control package now being challenged in federal court over its alleged unconstitutionality (SB2 as co-sponsor) and proposed efforts to ease probation violations even more significantly for those under supervision (SB4 as co-sponsor).
“Law enforcement and the criminal justice and correctional systems need to be given the tools they need to do their jobs and bring down rates of offenders reoffending. Individuals that have committed crimes must have the support, structure, and supervision necessary to be productive, law abiding members of our state,” said Sen. Brian Pettyjohn (R-Georgetown) a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Ruth has always been a staunch supporter of holding the people who commit crimes accountable, while providing them with the tools to reintegrate into society.”
A recent example of this soft on crime approach was seen in an August incident in Middletown. A Townsend man was arrested after a car accident with injuries, Upon arriving at the scene, police found him showing multiple signs of impairment and was taken into custody. Police discovered a small glass jar later found to be crystal meth and during the search the man intentionally blew into it, causing some of the substance to disperse. A subsequent search of his car revealed a loaded black handgun which he was previously adjudged prohibited to possess. Despite the accident, the drugs, and the illegal gun possession, the offender was arraigned by Justice of the Peace in Court 11 and then released on his own recognizance.
“Does Sen Gay think this adjudication is appropriate? I think that the man should have been put behind bars because he’s shown a real contempt for the public and for the law in his actions,” said Briggs King. “This kind of incident shows that the criminal justice system is not looking out for ordinary citizens and is making our police’s job harder and less effective. As Lieutenant Governor, I’ll always stand with citizens and our law enforcement to make our neighborhoods safer.”
There are better ways to reduce recidivism and to do it without a knee-jerk reaction to allegations of mass incarceration with mass release said Briggs King noting her work with a number of reentry programs in her native Sussex County.
These improvements and reforms include such ideas as promoted by the National Institute of Corrections:
1. Collaboration between all law criminal justice partners,
2. Organizational development – this means that all organizations involved must be on the same page and buy into the plan, and
3. All partners involved need to engage in evidence-based practices. These practices are listed below
Recidivism facts in Delaware:
· Delaware rearrests 77% of those individuals released from prison within 3 years of their release, whereas a 30-state report found that the average rearrest rate was 68% after 3 years.
· Even more stark, the Delaware reconviction rate is 72% within 3 years compared to an average of 45% in other states.
· There is a strong link between the quality of correctional rehabilitation programming and recidivism rates.
· Delaware’s current rehabilitation programming is underfunded and poorly structured.
· Delaware also has numerous laws that make it more difficult to return to society after serving a prison sentence.
Source: Ruth Briggs King Press Release