Every time I see a news story about another grisly crime, committed by someone with a long rap sheet, it makes me realize how vulnerable we are to the criminals in our orbit.

Once upon a time, there was something called a "three-time loser," meaning that someone arrested three times for serious crimes would be considered too dangerous to be walking freely among innocent people.  That didn't mean an execution, or a life sentence, unless one of the crimes included murder.  However, it did mean that the recidivist criminal would be put away long enough either to learn that crime doesn't pay or at least to stay off the street.

Not anymore!  The justice system, which we pay billions of dollars for every year, does a pathetic job of serving up justice.  I don't think I need to supply you with a bunch of statistics; you can see it everyday on the news.  I'll just mention the recent murder of Eliza Fletcher, in Memphis, Tenn.  The kindergarten teacher, while out for her early-morning jog, was attacked and dragged into an SUV, allegedly by Cleotha Henderson, AKA Cleotha Abston, a recidivist criminal who had spent more than half of his life in prison.  The 38-year-old suspect had been recently released after serving 20 years of a 24-year sentence for the abduction and robbery of an attorney in 2000.

His rap sheet included five charges of aggravated assault, rape, and larceny, and additional charges associated with those arrests.  Henderson's original sentencing, after the conviction of kidnapping the lawyer at gunpoint, included a court-ordered decision that he serve 100 percent of the 24 years due to his violent criminal past.  Needless to say, the 34-year-old mother, an avid runner who had qualified for the Boston Marathon, would still be alive today if the system had done what it's supposed to do.  Ms. Fletcher became another victim of a feckless system that would be discontinued for gross incompetence if it weren't for the fact that it's operated by the government.

We've come to a time in our history in which we must conceptualize the fact that we are all potential victims of an unstable structure that merely gives the appearance of safety for its citizens.  When Ms. Fletcher left home early in the morning for her usual exercise regimen, she undoubtedly felt safe because it was a routine she had followed for years.  How could she even imagine that a savage criminal in the area also had a routine, one in which he stalked possible victims?  How could she even imagine that the people responsible for her safety had released a wild animal to prey upon her, and ultimately take her life?

There are those who are saying a woman should not have been alone on the street during the dark, early-morning hours.  Although there might be some logic to that reasoning, women are not the only ones attacked on the streets, and the time of the day or night is not factored into the assaults.

Moreover, it's obviously a way to blame the victims rather than their attackers.  Yes, everyone should have some responsibility for his own safety!  Nevertheless, one has to ask why there are so many violence-prone sociopaths roaming the same areas traveled by law-abiding people.

In most states, when a sex offender is released from prison, he must be registered as such by local agencies.  That provides residents with a warning about the despicable predilections of those in their neighborhoods.  Why not have the same registries for the dangerous thugs who have repeatedly proven their unwillingness to become civilized?

By the way, another function of prisons is to rehabilitate the inmates.  Yet, given the fact that most former convicts return to their nefarious pursuits before the ink on their release papers is dry, it's more proof that we are on our own!  Did those responsible for releasing Cleotha Henderson think he was ready to be a respectable member of society?   

As for the failed system called "justice," we can no longer rely on it.  Ms. Fletcher relied on it, as do millions of other decent people across this country.

Perhaps you're reading this and thinking such tragic incidents happen only to other people.  I wouldn't be surprised if the murder victim in this case felt the same way as she tied the laces on her running shoes that morning.  Meanwhile, as more violent, unrehabilitated beasts are released into our communities, the same worthless system is demanding that gun-owners give up their only means of defense against the creatures stalking them.  This is the insanity that masquerades as a benevolent caretaker of our safety.

Every elected official should be on record as a strong supporter of the police and tougher penalties for convicted felons.  If you voted for those who have not consistently advocated for laws that protect you, I suggest you think twice about lacing up those shoes.  Alternatively, perhaps you should learn how to jog with a gun strapped to your shorts.

Image via Pxhere.