The recent shooting rampage by a University of Alabama professor has made many people question the credibility of the American criminal justice system. Could this, and other violent situations, have been prevented? An increasing number of systematic failures has led to several violent tragedies in recent times, including the killing of four Washington police officers by Maurice Clemmons last November. The frightening connection between these two seemingly isolated incidents is that both suspects had no business living freely in our society. The blame for this fact needs to fall somewhere. However, the answer is not as bright as may be initially expected. Our criminal justice system is vast and often lacks the communication and accountability necessary for responsible and effective functioning. As almost everyone knows, the multiple entities within the system are far from independent. The police, courts, and corrections systems all rely on one another while at the same time entrusting legislators to enact responsible and effective policy. So the question here remains: Who is to blame for these incidents?

The tragic shooting in Alabama is not Professor Amy Bishop’s first run-in with the law. As details unfold, it is becoming more clear that she has a lengthy history including being a suspect in her own brother’s killing, sending a pipe bomb to a colleague, and a prior conviction for assault. While the two former incidents were unused, recent statements by the Norfolk County District Attorney indicated that ample probable cause existed in the shooting of Bishop’s brother to charge her with manslaughter and weapons violations. This statement is not just puzzling but also frustrating. Where was our justice system when it was needed to keep society safe? Clearly, there is inadequate justification for not dealing with Bishop when the law had its chance.

Even more discouraging is how a man like Maurice Clemmons managed to stay on the streets as long as he did. Clemmons started his delinquency relatively young and managed to get sentenced to over 100 years in prison by the age of eighteen, later having the sentence commuted by then-Governor Mike Huckabee. Unfortunately, the blame cannot be placed entirely on Huckabee, due to the unanimous approval by the Arkansas Parole Board. While I am thoroughly against the kindness of the legal system in this situation, it only infuriates me further to find out what happened next. Clemmons was charged with more than 10 violent felonies over the years following, culminating with the fateful police shooting. There is no logical explanation to say this man was not deserving of a lifetime in prison. While it’s true that one is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, the inherent nature of these crimes, such as rape and multiple assaults on police officers, was so heinous that no judge should have ever granted bail. Unfortunately, these systematic failures in our justice system lead (led) to a terrible ending and a major hit to the credibility of the criminal justice system.

Are these cases isolated instances of negligence in our criminal justice system or are they a causative result of a more serious quandary? Any decent criminal profiler could look at the rap sheets of both suspects and realize the formidable trend of crimes. So why wasn’t more attention paid to these two individuals? There are innumerable excuses and explanations for why this may have gone wrong. One obvious answer is overcrowding in our legal system. Police have too many criminals to arrest, prosecutors have an enormous caseload, and prisons are over packed with inmates. As I write this, jails and prisons in America are releasing inmates based primarily on a lack of space. If trends in recidivism have taught us anything, it’s that career criminals generally don’t commit lesser offenses with time – instead, the heinousness and seriousness of crimes increase. While keeping these cases in mind, criminal justice professionals and legislators must learn from their past errors and hold themselves accountable for mistakes. President Harry Truman put it best with his phrase “the buck stops here.” Let’s hope that these simple words can be taken to heart and that we create solutions in days to come, rather than creating excuses.

– Sam Aronson is a sophomore criminal justice major.