THREAD: I appreciate advocacy for releasing people from jails & prisons, but limiting this opportunity to "nonviolent offenders" ignores the larger problem of categorizing people this way. Offenses are defined by politicians & many violent offenses aren't truly violent. 1/6
Example: in Alabama 3rd degree burglary is considered violent. This is breaking into a shed & stealing a lawnmower. Someone who did this 30 years ago is still called a "violent offender." Drug trafficking, possession of explosives, hindering prosecution- all violent in AL. 2/6
One need not cause physical harm to be called a "violent offender" and no amount of time or rehabilitation will remove the designation. In the system's view- one conviction defined as violent (by politicians) & you are forever branded a "violent offender." 3/6
And it's not just crimes like stealing lawnmowers or drug trafficking (which in AL, is based solely on weight of drugs, no actual trafficking required)- many people in our system HAVE committed acts of violence, but they also deserve a second chance. They are not their crime. 4/6
When you hear "release nonviolent offenders" recognize this is unnecessarily limiting. I know many people who committed a single offense decades ago, some with no physical injuries. They are still called "violent offenders" yet none are actively dangerous or actually violent. 5/6
But I also know people who have caused real physical harm and I believe in them too. We must stop placing categorical definitions on human beings. With the risk of #covid19, EVERYONE in jail & prison deserves a 2nd look. Let's drop the political definitions of who is worthy. 6/6
