Commutation Time for Patrick

Today’s Boston Globe reports that Gov. Patrick has received his first sentence commutation request, that of a prisoner who was 18 years old at the time of the crime and has served 36 years of a sentence of life without parole. It’s time to reconsider the costs, in both dollars and wasted lives, of this lock ‘em up and throw away the key approach to sentencing.

In Massachusetts, a 1st degree murder conviction carries an automatic “natural life” sentence, while 2nd degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence with a possibility of parole after 15 years (which the parole board rarely grants at the first review). In addition, a variety of other crimes carry possible life sentences.

Massachusetts now has 18% of the prison population serving life sentences. From 1999 to 2007, the number of life without parole sentences increased by 30% to close to 900 individuals. That seems unsustainable as the prison population ages, prosecutors routinely charge murder defendants with the higher offense, and elected officials fear stepping on a pardon or commutation landmine.

There has been a lot of attention given to life without parole sentences for juveniles, and as an alternative to capital punishment in states that have a death penalty. But many adult offenders will die in prison, at taxpayers’ cost, when reviews of individual records may show that incarceration no longer serves a public safety purpose. It sounds like Arnold King is one such individual who has served a significant portion of his life and has rehabilitated himself (no small feat in a system short on counseling and programs). Of course, it’s always difficult to consider the convict’s situation when the victim’s family will forever grieve their loss, but Governor Patrick should do the right thing and accept the unanimous recommendation of the parole board in this case.