Gov. Mills’ recent decision to deny clemency to Brandon Brown is shameful. Never mind that Brown was an exemplary candidate for clemency, having become the first Maine inmate in history to earn a master’s degree while incarcerated. Never mind that Brown has been accepted into a doctoral program. Never mind that denying clemency may permanently slam the door on that path to redemption and that chance to maximize Brown’s contribution to society. Never mind that our justice system is supposed to be based on rehabilitation.

Never mind all that. Ten years in prison is enough for the charge of attempted murder – especially when the victim supports clemency, as in this case. In Norway, murder is punished by six to 12 years in prison, and Norway’s murder rate is 0.53 per 100,000 people. The U.S. murder rate is 5.0 per 100,000, almost 10 times as high. Clearly, draconian punishment is no deterrent.

Across the country there is a growing prairie fire against mass incarceration, and polls show support for this. The debate is shifting. But Gov. Mills is either unaware of this or simply doesn’t care. With her callous indifference to Brandon Brown, Mills is lining up solidly on the wrong side of history.

Politicians often throw away the key to show they’re tough. Well, this barbarity is not toughness. Toughness would be an ability to look right in the camera and forthrightly and unblinkingly state the perfectly valid reasons for clemency for Brandon Brown.

Lawrence Reichard

Belfast

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