Not criminally responsible

Past offenders often compound insult by reoffending

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Let’s just start with the easy part: Should someone who shoots a cop on purpose and multiple times without any provocation whatsoever ever be allowed to walk free again?


Or how about this: Should an imbalanced individual who shoots someone be declared “not criminally responsible” and sent on his way – to do it again a few years later?

Is a criminal justice system that allows either thing to happen, itself, being responsible with criminals?

Of course not. But welcome to America, land of the free and the shouldn’t be free.

Floyd Palmer, the man accused of murdering a volunteer who was leading a prayer service Wednesday at World Changers Church International south of Atlanta, has shot a man before. Reports indicate he shot another man working with him at a mosque in Baltimore, Md., in 2001. After it surfaced that Palmer appeared to be delusional and he pleaded “not criminally responsible,” a judge released him in 2006.

Do you think they’ll be able to hold onto him this time?

Meanwhile, in another case, an Augusta man on parole for shooting a Richmond County sheriff’s deputy five times in 1990 was arrested Oct. 8 after being arrested with a gun following an alleged shoplifting.

On parole only 11 months from his 45-year sentence, Carl Lamont Brandon, 39, is charged with shoplifting, fleeing and attempting to elude police and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

“Brandon, who was 16 at the time, shot (the deputy) five times – once in the temple and four times in the back – as the deputy was retrieving rain gear from the trunk of his police cruiser,” according to the Chronicle news story. The deputy survived and still works as a training sergeant, but lost an eye and kidney as a result of being shot.

Thankfully, no one was hurt in Brandon’s latest arrest. But that’s more due to luck and perhaps providence than any intelligence on the part of the criminal justice system.

Shootings and other tragedies from criminal acts are bad enough. But when they’re perpetrated by people who’ve already slipped through the criminal justice system’s fingers, that just adds outrage to tragedy.

Comments (4) Add comment
soapy_725 10/30/12 - 08:48 am
Bring back mandatory death sentencing

for police shooters. It worked before.

dichotomy 10/30/12 - 11:11 am
Paroles are given based on a

Paroles are given based on a qouta system, not on merit. Most people who are paroled nowadays should never have even been considered for a parole.

The reformers and rehabilitators are killing us. They have no concept of the nature of the criminals loose in our society today. They live in an alternate reality in la-la land. They are the same folks who gave us the permanent welfare culture that envelopes 20% or more of our society. They are the "excuse" makers. And they will never admit that they have done more harm than good.

Jane18 10/30/12 - 01:32 pm
Do the Crime, Do the Time

I don't wish harm or anything bad on anyone, but sometime I wonder what would some liberal thinking judge, an ACLU lawyer or 'in it for the money" corrupt lawyer, think and do if one of the victims in this article had been a relative(parent, sibling, or child)of theirs. I can only hope they would see and know the right thing to do as far as judgment and punishment of the criminal. Dichotomy is correct, a paroled person is Not based on merit, and that's too bad. If they were, most of these bad guys would Stay where they belong. As I have said before, there are some people that do not deserve to breathe air, or be free to breathe it!!

Doug Duncan
Doug Duncan 10/30/12 - 04:35 pm
Ashley Wright

The good news for Augusta is Ashley Wright is our District Attorney! She doesn't let people slip through our system!

rmwhitley 10/30/12 - 06:02 pm
The vast majority

of these paroles are perpetrated by a preponderance of left-leaning activist judges and attorneys who would release monsters on the public, yet think tort reform is a crime. Trial lowyers and activist judges are bought and paid for by the naacp, unions, georgy soros and are card carrying members of the leftist aclu. Concerned only by their: good standing with the democratic party, seeking public office ( at the cost of the average citizen) without TERM LIMITS and attending social funtions of the "high and mighty" rules makers. Ever notice the make-up of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate? Mostly lowyers. Ever see the disclaimers on ALL advertisements? Written by lowyers. Ever had a problem reading and understanding an amendment to a state or national constitutional ballot? Lowyers. ALL LEGAL jargon written with the idea we're (voters) stupid. In most cases we are because we ( the majority of Americans) are not low school grads. The parole of dangerous felons lies directly at the feet of lowyers and activist judges. We need Term Limits on judges and a review panel ( made up of non-legal constituents) on a monthly basis for lowyers. How about TERM-LIMITS for members of Congress, also?

Young Fred
Young Fred 10/31/12 - 12:03 am
dichotomy, sounds like a


sounds like a bunch of bureaucrats sitting in an office in Atlanta, thinking they know what's best.

Wouldn't be the first time, wouldn't be the last.

Merit-less quota systems, ya that's the ticket! Answerable to no one, other than the “checklist”.

This is the reality that liberals built.

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