February 15th, 2023 by WCBC Radio
The Republican members of the Senate’s Executive Nominations Committee issued the following statement following this afternoon’s vote on Juvenile Services Nominee, Vincent Shiraldi
“The Republican members of the Senate’s Executive Nominations Committee are deeply committed to their responsibility to consent to and advise the Governor on his appointees to his Cabinet. Following discussions within in our caucus and hearing concerns from our colleagues in the House of Delegates, we cannot in good faith support this appointee.
While the Acting Secretary of Juvenile Services may be academically qualified for this role, our caucus is concerned his radical reform philosophies would further exacerbate an out-of-balance system that treats offenders as the victims and neglects the true victims' right to justice.
There is consensus that we want a society that finds ways to provide second chances, however, the actions of violent offenders, even as juveniles, cannot be dismissed. We cannot ignore the significant increase of juvenile crime in our schools and in our communities. Grown-up actions necessitate grown-up consequences.
While we object to his untested philosophies, we are hopeful that in partnership with the Moore Administration, the Department can find an appropriate balance between providing real accountability in the most extreme cases and creating a system that allows youth in crisis to grow into productive adult members our communities.”
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