by Dennis Myers
ThiS ModeRn WoRLd
by tom tomorrow
Your favorite movie? Asked in downtown Reno
Rewana Bonaldi Legal assistant
I have a lot of favorites, but I think one of my favorite is The Philadelphia Story with Katherine Hepburn. And I think it’s because my mom used to watch those kind of movies when I was little and it’s cozy, home.
Autumn Helder Autism behavioral interventionist
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, because it’s classic. It’s just a simple story. It’s a different time. It’s very interesting to look back at what was accepted and what wasn’t. It’s a cool movie to watch.
Peter Sferrazza Judge
Fit the crime
I think The Last of the Mohicans. Daniel Day-Lewis did a superb job. It was good music, good scenery and good story.
Some states have been reducing their prison populaFormer Nevada lobbyist Harvey Whittemore remains tions by finding different ways of punishing nonviolent free as his conviction winds its way through the appeals process in the federal court system. He was convicted on offenders. And when a case as visible and highly publicized as the Whittemore case ends in a sentence three counts of violating campaign contribution limits like this, it send a powerful message that prison time by using beards to get around the limits. U.S. Supreme is still an acceptable way of dealing with nonviolent Court rulings have thrown much of federal election offenses—even, as in this case, first time offenses. law into doubt, so it is conceivable that the laws under When Judge Larry Hicks sentenced Whittemore, which Whittemore was convicted could be overturned, he used language that was more akin to that of the invalidating his convictions. district attorney he once was—here in Washoe County, But our concern today is one that has been with in fact—than of an impartial judge, suggesting that he us since his sentencing. Whittemore drew two years needs to make a better adjustment to in prison, 100 hours of community his current role. service, and $100,000 in fines. Why punish “The evidence shows black and The fines and community service white where the money came from, are not a problem, in our view. What both Harvey from Mr. Whittemore to his friends is a problem is the prison time, and it Whittemore and and family and employees all for goes far beyond this particular case. the purpose of them making phony Our society uses prison in ways that the taxpayers? contributions to Harry Reid,” the challenge good sense, productive judge said, which is true, and—if the penology, and sometimes sanity. verdict is upheld—certainly calls for punishment. But in Prisons are loaded with nonviolent offenders when there punishing Harvey Whittemore, where are the sentencing exist ways of punishing that would benefit us all. guidelines that say the taxpayers must be punished at the As of March 18 of last year, the U.S. Bureau of same time? Prisons put the average cost of a federal prisoner at All over the United States there are deeds needing $28,893.40. There are currently 217,001 federal prison doing, from soup kitchens to failing infrastructure. inmates. The number of prisoners in state facilities and Nonviolent offenders have hands with which to do them, their cost is more difficult to ascertain, but the reader and taxpayers would benefit instead of paying. Two can get a pretty good picture from the fact that the total years in prison, Judge Hicks said, when he could just as prison population in the United States is over 1,500,000. easily said two years in community service. And get this—most of them are nonviolent. It’s time to stop thinking of punishment only in terms of warehousing. Ω OPINION
|
NEWS
|
GREEN
|
FEATURE STORY
|
ARTS&CULTURE
|
ART OF THE STATE
|
FOODFINDS
|
FILM
|
MUSICBEAT
|
NIGHTCLUBS/CASINOS
Bobby Stigler Retiree
True Romance because of Gary Oldman, Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette. I like Tarantino and his movies, his style.
David Crockett Student
The Breakfast Club. It’s one of those timeless classics that can be watched over and over again, and you won’t get tired of it. Like, I could watch it 30 years from now with my partner, and it’ll still be enjoyable.
|
THIS WEEK
|
MISCELLANY
|
JUNE 5, 2014
|
RN&R
|
5
