Breaking free from old patterns requires fresh perspectives, and courage to embrace them. Calling balls & strikes. Policy Dir. @RSI **Opinions are my own**
Greenville, SC
Joined October 2021
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Congress is moving to tie police funding to state bail policy. That approach ignores federalism, undermines local decision making, and risks weakening public safety rather than strengthening it.
@RSI
rstreet.org/commentary/why-c…
Lisel Petis retweeted
Virginia’s parole board decisions under Gov. Abigail Spanberger should be judged by their documented reasons and public safety assessments, using transparency rules enacted under Gov. Glenn Youngkin, writes Sarah Anderson. ➡️ Find link to story in bio
Lisel Petis retweeted
🧵 1/ Virginia Gov. @SpanbergerForVA is facing backlash over controversial parole decisions.
But what has changed, and what safeguards are already in place?
@smayranderson takes a closer look at the parole reforms enacted during the Youngkin administration and the debate surrounding them.
Watch below.
Lisel Petis retweeted
The First Step Act’s effectiveness depends on its implementation.
@smayranderson explains why allowing eligible individuals to earn time credits from sentencing, including while awaiting prison placement, could strengthen rehabilitation incentives and reduce incarceration costs.
Lisel Petis retweeted
The complex part about this is that a life sentence does not necessarily mean life behind physical bars.
A sentence can take many forms, including brick-and-mortar custody, home confinement, community supervision, electronic monitoring, etc.
Parole is still part of a sentence.
LIFE apparently doesn’t mean LIFE anymore in Virginia.
In just the past 60 days, the Virginia Parole Board granted parole to 21 convicted felons.
Six of those 21 were serving LIFE sentences.
• Holland — rape, forcible sodomy, robbery and kidnapping. FIVE LIFE SENTENCES.
• Shell — two first-degree murders. LIFE.
• Brown — rape. LIFE.
• Fields — first-degree murder. LIFE.
• Herring — object sexual penetration. LIFE. Paroled after about 22 years.
• Johnson — first-degree murder. LIFE. Paroled after about 33½ years.
A judge can sentence someone to LIFE for murder, rape or other horrific crimes — but the Virginia Parole Board can still decide that “life” has lasted long enough and let them out with decades left to live.
In Virginia, LIFE apparently means NOT LIFE.
These are the Virginia Parole Board’s own records.
August:
vpb.virginia.gov/media/pdol5…
September:
vpb.virginia.gov/media/kvrkw…
Improving a bail system does not always require sweeping changes, constitutional amendments, or a complete overhaul.
@RSI
rstreet.org/commentary/10-pr…
Lisel Petis retweeted
With less than a year until the legal deadline to close Rikers, New York is running out of time. But closing the complex alone won’t fix its jails. @LiselPetis writes about the deeper challenge of creating a system that is better managed, safer and more humane.
vitalcitynyc.org/closing-rik…
Lisel Petis retweeted
What does bail reform actually mean for crime, public safety and Hawai‘i’s justice system?
Join R Street’s @LiselPetis and a panel of local and national experts for a discussion separating the myths from the realities.
📅 Aug. 27 | 12–1 PM HST
Register: hubs.ly/Q04vfFRr0
Lisel Petis retweeted
Prosecutors should not be trying to “win” at all costs.
Their job is to seek justice.
That means building a system where weak cases are exposed early, strong cases are protected and truth matters more than political advantage.
More from @LiselPetis: bit.ly/4vYAsG7
Lisel Petis retweeted
A justice system built around winning political fights will always be vulnerable to weaponization.
A justice system built around finding the truth is much harder to misuse.
@LiselPetis explains why criminal justice reform should focus on accuracy, transparency and restraint: bit.ly/3QezGW7
Lisel Petis retweeted
Americans across the political spectrum increasingly worry that government power can be weaponized.
That fear will not be solved by partisan “anti-weaponization” efforts alone.
The better answer is structural reform that makes criminal law harder to abuse.
Read @LiselPetis: bit.ly/4vvNtXk
Lisel Petis retweeted
Parole and resentencing are often treated as interchangeable.
They are not.
Parole asks whether someone can be safely released under supervision. Resentencing asks whether the original sentence still makes sense after years of change.
@smayranderson explains: bit.ly/43ZvOvg
Lisel Petis retweeted
Voters are tired of rhetoric that demands they pick a side.
They want leadership that can hold two truths at once: communities need safety, and the justice system must respect rights, dignity and due process.
That is the next chapter.
Read @LiselPetis: bit.ly/4fBfYOE
Lisel Petis retweeted
A justice system that ignores public safety loses trust.
A justice system that abuses power loses legitimacy.
The goal should be clear: institutions that act with competency, integrity, prudence and restraint.
Read @LiselPetis on R Street’s vision: bit.ly/4oqbs84
Lisel Petis retweeted
People should be able to walk home after dinner, ride the subway to work or take their kids to the park without fear.
Businesses should be able to serve customers without constantly guarding against theft and disorder.
Public safety matters.
More from @LiselPetis: bit.ly/4onu6NU
As a morning person, I love how bustling Honolulu is at 5 in the morning.
Guessing jet lag as part of the reason, but still fantastic.
Lisel Petis retweeted
The next chapter of criminal justice policy should not ask people to choose between public safety and fairness.
A serious justice system must deliver both.
That means effective government where safety is at risk, and restrained government where liberty is at stake.
Read @LiselPetis: bit.ly/4vj1W9v
Lisel Petis retweeted
Criminal justice policy does not need to be trapped between competing extremes.
Americans want to be safe, feel safe and trust that the system is fair.
That means rejecting false choices and building policy that is fair, firm and focused.
@LiselPetis explains: bit.ly/4uUMdNq
Lisel Petis retweeted
I find it really unhelpful when stories about reducing gun violence focus entirely on the "gun" part. That launches us into a cliche cable news debate/doom loop about gun rights, rather than a pragmatic conversation about how to save lives.
This is a waste of time and attention, when there are so many other options that are actually feasible!
Studies show that (1) Chicago prosecutors' Targeted Abuser Call (TAC) program and (2) police agencies' Lethality Assessment Programs both dramatically reduce intimate partner homicides. We should replicate those elsewhere and rigorously test other interventions. (There are lots of great ideas out there!)
It's time to focus on stuff that could meaningfully move the needle in the real world, as it currently exists.
Lisel Petis retweeted
Last year, @IamAcop_Jill and I released a paper on how distributed digital surveillance will impact crime.
The predictions we made are already coming true.
One of the most prolific criminals in all of San Francisco tells @adam22 that “crime in San Francisco is over with” because of Flock cameras + drones. He complains that he can’t even do drivebys anymore.
It’s simple: when the risk of getting caught is too high, crime plummets.
Lisel Petis retweeted
I was fortunate enough this week to swing by Baltimore, MD and catch up with a number of our coalition friends that @RSI works closely with on criminal record sealing and expungement. So grateful for these partnerships!
Cc: @CFUF_Baltimore @Out4JusticeOrg @MarylandOPD @ubalt_ccjr
