My Point of View yesterday might have been less than fair, and I want to clarify it.
Under previous leadership of Metro Corrections, prisoners were being held well past their required sentences. We aren't talking about a few hours or a couple of isolated cases. Prisoners were kept for days and even weeks longer than allowed. The reason this is important now is because this failure was so widespread that the city just reached a staggering $20 million settlement to compensate them — paid for with your hard-earned tax dollars.
Then, under current leadership, another poorly handled event surfaced. In August, Judge Sara Clay discovered in open court that Metro Corrections accidentally released Kejuan Jackson, a convicted felon and a documented danger to the community. They just ... released him.
The reason this is important almost six months later is because they just recaptured Jackson last week while he was allegedly committing another violent crime.
A $20 million payout and a violent felon roaming the streets aren't just "darn the luck" moments. These practices and errors require changes with Metro Correction's systems because we can't afford mistakes this costly.
I'm Bill Lamb, and that's my Point of View.
