From Sen. Amanda Ragan –
Iowa ranks among the ten most peaceful states in America in the 2012 U.S. Peace Index report, which looks at homicide, violent crime, policing and prison rates.
We also fare well when it comes to accidents. According to the Trust for America’s Health, Iowa has the 12th lowest rate of deaths from injury. Our state ranks high because we meet many recommended safety standards that keep us healthy and save lives. These include tracking the causes of injuries, prescription drug monitoring to prevent overdoses, required seat belt use, and increased attention to head injuries in sports.
We further improved Iowa’s reputation for safety this year by:
1. Requiring criminal background checks on health care employees to prevent abuse and fraud.
2. Requiring repeat OWI offenders to install an ignition interlock device before they can get a temporary restricted license to drive to work and substance abuse treatment.
3. Ensuring teens get supervised driving practice in all seasons and face fewer distractions by strengthening Iowa’s Graduated Driver’s Licensing.
4. Providing effective response to emergencies by providing necessary 911 funding.
5. Ensuring children are brought up in safe homes and get the care they need.
6. Protecting victims by providing more tools to law enforcement and helping those who have experienced domestic violence and sexual assault get the services they need.
7. Toughening Iowa laws to better ensure law enforcement can prosecute and put away sex offenders.
8. Preventing recidivism through corrections education, which helps offenders acquire the skills to become productive members of their communities once they are out of prison.
9. Allowing Iowans to add medical information to their electronic driving record, making it immediately available to health care providers in emergencies.
Back to Ms Reagan, I don’t like the fact we have to pass more rules, regulations and laws just to do the right think. Too bad a lot of people are lacking in their upbringing and do not know how to treat others.
Pleeease. Not all felons are reformed, saintly and great employees. Conversely not all felons continual to be a drain on society. Every person should be judge on his or her merits. When interviewed most employers can tell which person they are talking to just by their demeanor.
Not all felons
@just-would you rather have them not have a job or be able to find decent housing. That is the real problem today. These people serve their time and come out but are unable to make a living or find a decent place to live. Then they have no option except to turn back to crime. Of course not all of them are reformed, but there are a lot of people out there who just have not been caught yet. Life is full of risk and you just have to evaluate and go with your best guess.
Carl Grover-I completely agree with your statements. I have seen this for years. I will say that every time I hired one of those felons they turned out to be some of my best people in the shop. They were very appreciative.
When talking about preventing recidivism two issues need to be addressed; Employer’s blanket policies of not hiring felons and local ordinances intended to deny people a place to live based on their criminal record. Felons who have paid their debt to society deserve the right to work and a right to housing. That is not to say that we shouldn’t also have guidelines in place that allow for common sense restrictions in some cases.