Revolving door

Thomas Dorsa was arrested in The Villages, Florida for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. He is 25 years old, and has 16 prior felony convictions, along with a number of misdemeanor convictions. SIXTEEEN felony convictions in just 8 years.

How was he even free to commit that many crimes? Well, here is his DOC file from the last time he was in prison. Note that he was released last March for Felony Aggravated Battery on a pregnant victim. He served 1 year and 10 months for that felony. This crime, his 15th Felony in 6 years, has a maximum penalty of 15 years. Why did he serve less than 2?

Then there is this mugshot, where he was convicted of felony battery and criminal mischief in 2011. This was a plea deal where he was initially charged with Aggravated Battery, and pled it down to felony battery and criminal mischief. He was sentenced to 4 months in jail, where he was released two months early, and 1 year of probation. He didn't fulfill his probation because of the aggravated battery on a pregnant victim mentioned above. When he was released, he gave the address where he would be staying to his parole officer. A Google search shows that address to be a vacant lot. Why wasn't THAT looked into?

In fact, a search of the Marion county court record shows a record of drug and violent crime convictions going back to 2006, when he was 15 years old. There was trespassing in 2010, which earned him a 1 month suspended sentence in jail, the 2009 conviction for shoplifting and resisting detainment by a retail merchant with force which earned him 31 days in jail, and the multiple drug offences that he has been convicted of. That is just one county. There are 12 other felonies in there.

When are we going to admit that jail and prison do not rehabilitate anyone? When are we going to admit that our justice system isn't just, it doesn't prevent crime, and just doesn't work?