OT: Alfonzo Dennard violates probation, back in jail

[Snake Eyes]

The reason it was a condition of his parole is because the reason he had been arrested in the first place was for a incident that occurred while he'd been drinking in which he hit a police officer..

In that case having him get treatment makes much more sense than abstinence.

 

[jah]

GFY

Not even following what this argument is about but you definitely just lost.

 

[RobertWeathers]

To think he once was a promising young talent here.

He absolutely was. The team gave him every opportunity to make it here. Because of injuries and his off the field stuff just didn't work out.

 

[Jackson 2]

Very elegant response, please let me know if you have an actual argument that counters any of my points.

Have a wonderful day.

Hey, I know for some people GFY has an obscene meaning. Those who know me here will vouch for the fact that I neither approve of nor use profanities. In my world, GFY means Good For You. I meant it as a compliment.

 

[n6249c]

I understand the reasoning behind the decision but unfortunately we have a very foolish view of substance abuse treatment when we buy into the abstinence mentality. If someone is a chronic over-eater we don't tell them to abstain from food forever, same thing with people who are sex addicts but suddenly we shift the addiction to alcohol and it's apparently a brilliant idea.

Ideally we want people to be able to function and have alcohol in appropriate amounts but we don't want them go overboard in a manner that becomes a problem.

Point is, it is not the responsibility of the criminal justice system to fix broken people. The courts apply the laws and mete out punishment for breaking them. Things like the sweetheart probation deals that Dennard was privileged to receive (which the average man in the street might not btw, he got special treatment because he was a star athlete able to afford the best legal representation) balance punishment with providing the opportunity for rehabilitation. Dennard could have gotten the same quality help dealing with his personal problems as he was able to get dealing with his legal problems. He had the budget to do the Betty Ford Clinic or whatever other addiction treatment facility he needed. He just chose not to do so. That's not the fault of the courts or the baliff or probation officer or cops.

 

[aluminum seats]

Hey, I know for some people GFY has an obscene meaning. Those who know me here will vouch for the fact that I neither approve of nor use profanities. In my world, GFY means Good For You. I meant it as a compliment.

You might want to think about shifting to other abbreviations that aren't already taken in this world.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

Hey, I know for some people GFY has an obscene meaning. Those who know me here will vouch for the fact that I neither approve of nor use profanities. In my world, GFY means Good For You. I meant it as a compliment.

Even with good for you as the meaning it was still a ****ty response

 

[Snake Eyes]

Hey, I know for some people GFY has an obscene meaning. Those who know me here will vouch for the fact that I neither approve of nor use profanities. In my world, GFY means Good For You. I meant it as a compliment.

I appreciate the clarification, thank you.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Point is, it is not the responsibility of the criminal justice system to fix broken people. The courts apply the laws and mete out punishment for breaking them. Things like the sweetheart probation deals that Dennard was privileged to receive (which the average man in the street might not btw, he got special treatment because he was a star athlete able to afford the best legal representation) balance punishment with providing the opportunity for rehabilitation. Dennard could have gotten the same quality help dealing with his personal problems as he was able to get dealing with his legal problems. He had the budget to do the Betty Ford Clinic or whatever other addiction treatment facility he needed. He just chose not to do so. That's not the fault of the courts or the baliff or probation officer or cops.

Are you certain that "punishment" is the sole reason for the criminal justice system? I'm not sure that's definitive, I've actually seen quite a bit of discussion and debate over the subject.

 

[1960Pats]

You might want to think about shifting to other abbreviations that aren't already taken in this world.

GFU would work.

 

[n6249c]

Are you certain that "punishment" is the sole reason for the criminal justice system? I'm not sure that's definitive, I've actually seen quite a bit of discussion and debate over the subject.

Not the sole reason, but I'm pretty sure the voters that fund it and elect the legislators who control it are going to consider that to be the primary raison d'être.

Point is, regardless of that, there is no reason Dennard could not have done what he needed to do to fix his problem, and he obviously did not do it. He cannot control himself, or he would not have been busted for this infraction. Blaming anyone but him for that is specious.

 

[Jackson 2]

You might want to think about shifting to other abbreviations that aren't already taken in this world.

Taken by whom?

 

[Jackson 2]

Not even following what this argument is about but you definitely just lost.

GFY, A... Good For You, Also...

 

[Jackson 2]

Even with good for you as the meaning it was still a ****ty response

You need to clean up your responses.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Not the sole reason, but I'm pretty sure the voters that fund it and elect the legislators who control it are going to consider that to be the primary raison d'être.

Point is, regardless of that, there is no reason Dennard could not have done what he needed to do to fix his problem, and he obviously did not do it. He cannot control himself, or he would not have been busted for this infraction. Blaming anyone but him for that is specious.

- There's a difference between blaming someone and criticizing policy.

- I'm pretty sure most people will have a variety of opinions on what the justice system is for, smoe would say punishment, others may say rehabilitation, others would say prevention of other crimes, and various combinations of those and other ideas. I don't think it's nearly as cut and dry as you're making it out to be.

 

[supafly]

I'm pretty sure most people will have a variety of opinions on what the justice system is for, smoe would say punishment, others may say rehabilitation, others would say prevention of other crimes, and various combinations of those and other ideas. I don't think it's nearly as cut and dry as you're making it out to be.

Couldn't agree more, @Snake Eyes. The "purpose" of the system is to punish, rehabilitate, and provide deterrence for future crimes, so it's much more than simply dishing out punishment.

Not meaning to get into any kind of politics because I have voted both republican and democrat before, but our country took a wrong turn during the pro-punishment/tough on crime/mandatory minimum years of the 1980s (R), and even early 90s (D) with the three strike laws, etc. Since then, we've seen our prisons overcrowded, and a poor allocation of funding and resources. As you know, this is mainly due to leaving out the rehabilitative aspect, which is obviously very important as it helps to lower the recidivism rates.

I would have to imagine that Dennard had to go to some type of rehabilitative classes or outpatient treatment, though. I'd even wager on it. It's not necessarily just about abstinence alone, which may make more sense to you. He may not have been ordered the first time, but you can bet that he was ordered (or agreed to it) when he violated with the DUI.

 

[supafly]

Point is, regardless of that, there is no reason Dennard could not have done what he needed to do to fix his problem, and he obviously did not do it. He cannot control himself, or he would not have been busted for this infraction. Blaming anyone but him for that is specious.

Hard to disagree with this statement as well, since these kinds of restrictions are imposed when there is a concern for a substance abuse problem, and this took place with the first charge, followed by two more after that. It's simply common procedure.

Perhaps people could relate in a better way had the restrictions been for say, PCP, or Cocaine, rather than "just" good old alcohol? Since it's a common substance that's widely accepted, some people don't get behind the idea of testing him or restricting his right to drink. As of know, Dennard has proven that he's violent (assault), that he endangers himself and others while drinking (DUI), and that he does not concern himself with rules or consequences (two probation violations, even after strict warning from the judge). All of these are directly related to alcohol and he may actually have a squeaky clean record and a thriving NFL career without it.

 

[supafly]

Taken by whom?

Taken by me. I own the copyright for GFY, so you pretty much owe me a dollar everytime you use it.

 

[DarrylS]

Alcohol is the great equalizer, has the ability to make fools of us all, remember during my drinking days the adage that at a bar you cannot tell the difference between a developmentally disabled person and a rocket scientist after a few drinks..

 

[Jackson 2]

Taken by me. I own the copyright for GFY, so you pretty much owe me a dollar everytime you use it.

Oh...well, if that includes the verbal version then as soon as I get my Powerball check I'll sign it right over to you...