Originally published at LAPD.com.
Computers are a
marvelous thing. They store information, churn data and generally make
us all more productive. Often, though, there’s a need for human judgment
and common sense to interpret a computer’s output.
A case in point is the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s computer program, Parole Violation Decision Making Instrument
(PVDMI). It’s a blatant cost-cutting measure touted as a reliable way
to predict which inmates are "low risk" and "non-violent," and thus
eligible for early release from prison with no parole supervision and no
notification to local law enforcement.
PVDMI determined that Zachariah Timothy Lehnen fit that category despite
a history of arrests for robbery, domestic violence and drugs. As a
result, he was released from prison long before his sentence was to end
in November 2013. Back on the streets with no parole supervision, Lehnen
is accused of murdering Lucien Bergez, 89, and Erica Evelyn Escobar, 27, on May 3, 2011 in Culver City.
Adam Treanor, president of the Culver City Police Officers’ Association,
believes the public deserves a supervised release system that is
realistic and makes community safety a top priority. "We need a system,"
he said, "that empowers law enforcement officers with the ability to
re-incarcerate any and all parolees who view their release from prison
not as an opportunity to begin a new life as a productive member of
society, but merely as a means to return to the very same criminal,
predatory behavior that led to their incarceration in the first place."
We are in complete agreement with Treanor and support his call to overhaul the fatally flawed system
we have today. There will always be a need to supervise parolees just
as there will also be a need to run a human reality check on the
information a computer program puts out. It is, after all, a matter of
life and death, as was proven in the case of Zachariah Timothy Lehnen.