Former Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is being criticized for commuting the sentence of Maurice Clemmons, who is suspected of the execution-style murders of four police officers in Washington state. As governor of Arkansas, Huckabee commuted a 95-year sentence for aggravated assault for Clemmons.

Bloomberg News reports:

Huckabee, as governor of Arkansas in 2000, commuted a 95-year prison sentence for Maurice Clemmons. Huckabee cited Clemmons' youth - he was 17 when he was convicted in 1989 of aggravated robbery - in commuting the sentence, the Associated Press reported. Clemmons was then paroled.

Huckabee, in turn, is shifting the blame on to the criminal justice system:

"Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State," a statement on Huckabee's website said.

While Huckabee should have stood up and taken more responsibility for his decision, I think it is admirable to show mercy. However, if Huckabee was a Democrat, Republicans would be pointing the finger at him a la Willie Horton. They would say he was soft on crime and didn't care about public safety. But Democrats should not do that because this case could serve as a vehicle in examining the goals of our criminal justice system.

If we are truly seeking to rehabilitate those convicted of crimes and not just punish them, then it shouldn't be that unusual to see long sentences commuted, or, better yet, not handed down in the first place. Unfortunately, Clemmons' alleged actions will hurt the effort to reduce sentencing disparities in this country and the efforts to make the correctional system truly rehabilitative.Clemmons was granted clemency in 1999, after serving 10 years for a "crime spree" that include aggravated robbery, burglary and gun possession. At the time, Clemmons said he had turned his life around in prison.

According to the Seattle Times:

Clemmons claimed he was 16 years old and had moved from Seattle to a high-crime neighborhood in Arkansas. "I succumbed to the peer pressure and the need I had to be accepted by other youth in my new environment and fell in with the wrong crowd and thus began a seven (7) month crime spree which led me to prison," Clemmons wrote in his application to Huckabee. "Where once stood a young (16) year old misguided fool, who's [sic] own life he was unable to rule. Now stands a 27-year-old man, who has learned through "the school of hard knocks" to appreciate and respect the rights of others. And who has in the midst of the harsh reality of prison life developed the necessary skills to stand along [sic] and not follow a multitude of do evil, as I did as a 16-year-old child."

A local judge cited Clemmons' age when convicted and called the sentence excessive. Huckabee also cited Clemmons' age in commuting the sentence.

What happened or didn't happen after Clemmons was released is where the problem begins. Clemmons was arrested for a parole violation after a robbery charge. He was paroled a few years later and was facing child rape charges at the time of Sunday's incident.

Not enough information is available about what happened to Clemmons after he was paroled; however, it takes more than just a change of heart to prevent people from committing new crimes. For example, if you cannot get a job after getting out of prison because employers think your criminal record disqualifies you, should we really be surprised that a burglar will start stealing again? Handing out commutations without working to help those who are freed readjust to society is like anti-abortion activists who also oppose funding for social assistance programs and early childhood education.

Clemmons says he was rehabilitated in prison, but was he really? Were there educational opportunities there or did he spend his time pumping weights, hanging with career criminals? Did Clemmons have a mentor? And before I read all the comments about how we spend too much money on criminals and how we should just lock them up and throw away the key, the billions of dollars we spend incarcerating people would be better spent educating them. We are going to pay one way or the other. If you continue to commit the same crimes, after being given additional opportunities to prove yourself, then you have to face your punishment.

Huckabee should have taken a stand and explained why he pardoned Clemmons. Maybe it was because he believed that people who make mistakes deserve second chances. A second chance, though, just doesn't mean throwing you to the wind. It involves providing the necessary help and resources to truly change one's life.