Violent Habitual Offender Bill will prevent future victims

In this legislative session, our representatives have an opportunity to pass a bill that will be an expression of one of the first principles of government, public safety.

The Violent Habitual Offender Bill, Senate File 23, sponsored by democratic Sen. Matt McCoy, is largely the work of a young woman named Tiffany Allison who was beaten and later discovered she was the offender's fifth victim.

Allison's attacker was given a two and a half year sentence, of which he served 10 months in prison and two years on parole. He reoffended, this time permanently disfiguring a woman's face by biting her.

Because he broke into the victim's car, he was sentenced to 10 years for burglary and five for willful injury; sentences to be served consecutively. Under current policy he will most likely serve one and one half to three years in prison. Given that it is his sixth official offense and he has been progressively more violent, the prospects of his being safely returned to society in such a short time are grim.

The Violent Habitual Offender Bill would require violent habitual offenders to serve 85 percent of their sentence followed by a period of parole so their integration into society can be monitored and they can receive counseling to help them succeed.

It is expensive to keep offenders in prison, but it is even more expensive to retry and readmit people who reoffend. But the greatest expense is not monetary, it is the violence to Iowa's citizens and the creation of more victims of crime.

While there are approximately 8,000 people incarcerated in Iowa, there are only about 370 habitual offenders. Of those, only 80-90 would be affected by this act — they are the most dangerous and violent people in the system.

Legislators have an opportunity to do that for which government primarily exists: the protection of society. Passing this bill would result in a safer Iowa, an offender with a better chance at rehabilitation and hope for the victims of their crimes.

• Karl Schilling is president of the Iowa Organization for Victim Assistance. Comments: iowa_iova@yahoo.com