Michael Collins: “I rise today to commend Judge Kenneth Kilpatrick, a superior court judge from Jonesboro, GA. Judge Kilpatrick recently…”

“I rise today to commend Judge Kenneth Kilpatrick, a superior court judge from Jonesboro, GA. Judge Kilpatrick recently shared with me a packet which he sent to Georgia Governor Zell Miller. These materials are a testament to the challenges and frustrations facing our Nation's judges as they attempt to carry out their work. The most frustrating thing that good judges like Mr. Kilpatrick face is the ridiculous practice by parole boards of paroling convicted criminals early. Judge Kilpatrick has no political agenda, he simply is asking Federal, State, and local officials to support him in his efforts to keep criminals behind bars and require them to serve their sentences. We have criminals in Georgia getting out of the penitentiary before they have served one-third of their sentence. Is it any wonder that the American people are concerned about crime? Our prison system is more of a rest stop for a lot of criminals--it gives them a little time to rest and relax while they plan for future crimes and gain insights from their fellow inmates. We need to go back to the days when going to the penitentiary meant you served hard time and repaid society for your crimes. We must ensure that criminals serve their sentences. Many Americans consider the criminal justice system a joke because early paroles make our judges appear as if they do not mean what they say.”