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Keep predators out of society

Mandatory minimum prison sentences and life terms for habitual offenders are being reexamined by some in the criminal justice system. It is no coincidence that such discussion is occurring at a time when many corrections facilities are overcrowded.

But one category of habitual criminal -sexually violent predators — should get no breaks.

Last week, a Monroe County jury sent a Huntington, West Virginia, man to prison for life. Joshua Carpenter, 32, had been convicted of raping two children. Both were less than 10 years old.

Jurors found Carpenter to be such a threat that he should never be considered for parole.

Vicious predators such as Carpenter simply must be kept out of society permanently. They are among the class of offenders who present clear dangers.

What about prison overcrowding? If new cells are needed to hold people like Carpenter, build them.

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