Some people think First District Judge John Mitchell (pictured) is soft on crime. Others accuse him of thinking he's above the law. If you read the comments at www.cdapress.com on Sunday's story Caught in the middle, which illustrated the division between Judge Mitchell and some of his critics, you'd get the sense that just about everyone around here doesn't believe in second chances, even for drug offenders. While we count ourselves among those inclined to give criminals every ounce of punishment they deserve, we have looked into Mitchell's philosophy, and we have a different perspective: It gives us hope -- Coeur d'Alene Press editorial.
Question: Do you think Judge John Mitchell is a softie?
D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.
Some people think First District Judge John Mitchell (pictured) is soft on crime. Others accuse him of thinking he's above the law. If you read the comments at www.cdapress.com on Sunday's story Caught in the middle, which illustrated the division between Judge Mitchell and some of his critics, you'd get the sense that just about everyone around here doesn't believe in second chances, even for drug offenders. While we count ourselves among those inclined to give criminals every ounce of punishment they deserve, we have looked into Mitchell's philosophy, and we have a different perspective: It gives us hope -- Coeur d'Alene Press editorial.
