There's an old adage in politics that says "it's always better to do something than nothing." One look at emotionally charged legislation like Kate's Law, however, and that hackneyed phrase gets turned on its head.
Officially titled "Establishing Mandatory Minimums for Illegal Reentry Act of 2015," Kate's Law does exactly as its title suggests: It establishes a five-year mandatory minimum for illegal aliens who are deported and re-enter the country illegally, and 10 years for anybody who does it three times.
Introduced after the tragic murder of Kate Steinle at the hands of an illegal alien, the law's sponsors argue that it is the first step in preventing illegal immigrants from "preying" on American citizens.
In reality, it responds with draconian punishments to address a drastically-overstated problem.
Kate's Law is only the most recent example of harmful criminal justice reform. In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed Megan's Law. Introduced after the brutal rape and murder of 8-year-old Megan Kafka, the law mandates that law enforcement officials must make once-private sex offender registries public.
Like Kate's Law, Megan's Law takes a ham-handed approach to a widely misunderstood crime, broadly establishing ineffective limitations on individuals who very rarely commit again. And while it may seem intuitive to punish some of society's worst criminals, using harsh measures on those who have already served their time has been proven to be wholly ineffective in combatting pediatric sex crimes. ..Continued..
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