It is sad that sometimes external circumstances like politics can interfere with someone's dreams. I hope that Mr. Johnny Pippins' case will be considered properly in its totality by the Illinois authorities and he be granted the opportunity of pursuing the PhD programme.
Ughhh! People ruin everything. Stay in the boundaries of the law and follow the law without regard to any personal influences and the justice system may work. But greed, power, prejudice, money screw everything. Swinging too far one way will always have consequences. Professor Loury, maybe get Kim Kardashian involved. This has been her passion for a while.
I am thankful to know this story. What a remarkable man he seems to have become. May is character be true, his motives established in integrity, and the grace of God Almighty see him through. Thank you again Mr. Loury, for an excellent piece of journalism.
I have no idea whether Johnny deserves release but it is abundantly clear that Kim Foxx and a lot of other "prosecutors" should be nowhere near political office. They have turned the system upside down, to the point that even an apparent success story like this one struggles to muster sympathy. Only now is that reality gaining notice as evidence by recent articles in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal though, even then, the piece is about how public concern over crime may impact some political fortunes.
We are such emotional creatures and so susceptible to a good narrative that depending on who you listen to, you might think Johnny should go free right now or that he should serve every second of his sentence. The story from his side is one of hard work and rehabilitation. He has certainly spent his time in prison wisely. He has been non-violent for decades and seems to have set himself up to be a valuable member of society. There was a homicide involved, but it was accidental. He was just trying to shoot the lock off the door, not shooting to kill. He is sorry for his crimes and is a different man all these years later. He has proven to no longer be a danger to society and also that he is willing and able to make positive changes in the world.
If you heard the prosecutor or victims families tell the story you might think differently. He was involved in a crime spree. He entered many houses with the intent to commit armed robbery. He was said to have brutally beaten and pistol whipped some victims and also to have dragged a woman through a house by her hair. On the final robbery he (along with some accomplices) bound and kidnapped a woman, took her to her (ex?)boyfriends residence and made her knock on the door. When the man opened the door and saw what was gong to happen he slammed the door. Johnny fired his gun through the door and killed the man. He says it was accidental and that sounds believable, but when you are this reckless with other peoples lives, can you call any death accidental? Any number of these previous robberies could have ended with death. I would say it was just a matter of time.
Large majorities are willing to forgive drug offenses, property crimes or non violent theft, but forgiveness is tougher for violent offenses. Especially when it comes to murder. Most people cant imagine inflicting that type of violence on another human so its easy to just categorize murderers as animals. It's not a huge logical leap to say that those who choose to take another humans life, forfeit their freedom forever. Forever sounds harsh, but that was the cost to the person Johnny killed, Jermaine Campbell, who was only 24. This is not a stance I would take or one we currently have (murderers don’t all get life), but it’s easy to see how someone would feel that way. Especially someone who lost a family member.
If the goal is to rehabilitate and protect the public from a dangerous person then this case seems pretty clear cut. Let him free. So I guess it comes down to deciding what portion of a sentence is punitive. Has he been punished enough for what he took?
(This was the best description I could find in 15 minutes. Not sure its all accurate and he may dispute some of these details)
Johnny, you have accomplished an amazing amount in your time in prison. I do hope freedom is available for you soon. In the meantime, I hope and pray you are a believer in Jesus Christ. Some of God’s best work was done from prison. Paul wrote Ephesians, Colossians and Philippians from behind bats. He will use you, too, if you are available. God bless you!
“Johnny” is generally recognized as the diminutive form of the name Jonathan or John. It is usually used for children until they outgrow the diminutive and become adults. When an adult keeps the diminutive of their name, Danny Johnny, Tommy, Billy, etc. It is usually for their close friends and relatives to use not for the world at large because in the world at large referring to someone with the diminutive of their name infantilizes them.
It makes everything sound off about the person. Why is a grown-as man calling himself Johnny? Is it because he thinks it’s cute or catchy? Does he understand Johnny is a child’s name and not a man’s name? It worked for Johnny Cash, but I don’t think it will work for Johnny Pippens.
John Pippins has done much better in prison than he ever did outside prison, and I think it would be wise for him to finish out his sentence and accomplish as much as he can while he’s safely behind bars. Remember John, it’s dangerous out there.
Isn’t it a misnomer to refer to John Pippins as a victim of any kind? Even of democratic politics.
In prison culture there is an expression, “if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime. Harsh, maybe, but true.
The best way to get out of prison is to never get into prison in the first place.
I hope you do beat the system John Pippins. But you already got a much better education for much less money than most people.
Are you grateful for the education that you achieved through taxpayer funding? One could make the argument that prison saved your life. The mortality rate for young criminals in Chicago is not that good.
Is there a better path for you to follow once you gain your release? Do we really need another academic expressing questionable narratives from an ivory tower. Preaching to the choir, so to speak.
Good for you for beating the system in your own way and thriving in very difficult circumstances.
I’m sure the sociologists can trace where things went wrong for you in this harsh life that we all must find our way through, but you were there, you know what happened, you were living in your mind when you committed crimes. I doubt you were forced to commit crimes.
In a perfect world, you deserve early release, but as we all know, this is far from a perfect world. It’s always buyer beware all the time.
Ah, the irony of Democrats. They let dangerous criminals go but keep reformed criminals locked up. It's reminiscent of their views on state-sanctioned killing -- they oppose the execution of mass murders but sanction and even subsidize the killing of the unborn right up to the moment of birth.
Tiz a puzzlement! On one hand we try to remove risk from our streets and lives and on another, we try to rehabilitate. Rehabilitation makes sense but how do we tell. How do we know the right measurements and how do we ensure we have the best judgement.
Johnny's story sounds obvious, but when did it become obvious? If now why not some time earlier in Johnny's journey?
It seems removing offenders from our lives and rehabilitation are two different mindsets and too complicated for one system to handle reliably. Daniel Kahneman reminds us in "NOISE" (error in judgement), that judges can't even apply their own judgement and craft reliably.
Johnny may be (now) easy to make a judgement on. But how do we make this work for everyone if we have not figured it out by now. Tiz a puzzlement!
Johnny, God blesses you as a victim of Chicago Democratic politics. The left will always abandon civil society if it’s in their interests. TGS viewers, can we collectively seek justice for Johnny with our voices and resources?
So here is a very clear case in which the lax practices of district attorneys are hurting people who have served time and deserve far more than a second chance.
I trust your judgement on this infinitely. I wish more men like you were in charge throughout our society. Thank you for telling us about Johnny Pippins and I will pray for him that he have someone like you with power in that particular system intercede for him. We have to be open to grace and it seems Johnny has earned this and can give so much back, which benefits us all if we let him.
If we make it impossible for people to ever be forgiven, we take away the incentive for self-improvement. Why should anyone try to better themselves in prison if they know that they can never be redeemed? It's very important that accomplishments like Johnny's be recognized so that others will see there is an actual viable path back to mainstream society.
John Hinckley Jr. is being released without restriction, numerous felons have gone un-prosecuted in Illinois, Jussie Smollett was reluctantly and belatedly prosecuted, but Johnny Pippins, who against all odds, clearly seems to have made a complete turn around, resulting in some very impressive achievements, is being kept incarcerated. Something is rotten in Denmark.....
It is sad that sometimes external circumstances like politics can interfere with someone's dreams. I hope that Mr. Johnny Pippins' case will be considered properly in its totality by the Illinois authorities and he be granted the opportunity of pursuing the PhD programme.
Ughhh! People ruin everything. Stay in the boundaries of the law and follow the law without regard to any personal influences and the justice system may work. But greed, power, prejudice, money screw everything. Swinging too far one way will always have consequences. Professor Loury, maybe get Kim Kardashian involved. This has been her passion for a while.
I am thankful to know this story. What a remarkable man he seems to have become. May is character be true, his motives established in integrity, and the grace of God Almighty see him through. Thank you again Mr. Loury, for an excellent piece of journalism.
I have no idea whether Johnny deserves release but it is abundantly clear that Kim Foxx and a lot of other "prosecutors" should be nowhere near political office. They have turned the system upside down, to the point that even an apparent success story like this one struggles to muster sympathy. Only now is that reality gaining notice as evidence by recent articles in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal though, even then, the piece is about how public concern over crime may impact some political fortunes.
We are such emotional creatures and so susceptible to a good narrative that depending on who you listen to, you might think Johnny should go free right now or that he should serve every second of his sentence. The story from his side is one of hard work and rehabilitation. He has certainly spent his time in prison wisely. He has been non-violent for decades and seems to have set himself up to be a valuable member of society. There was a homicide involved, but it was accidental. He was just trying to shoot the lock off the door, not shooting to kill. He is sorry for his crimes and is a different man all these years later. He has proven to no longer be a danger to society and also that he is willing and able to make positive changes in the world.
If you heard the prosecutor or victims families tell the story you might think differently. He was involved in a crime spree. He entered many houses with the intent to commit armed robbery. He was said to have brutally beaten and pistol whipped some victims and also to have dragged a woman through a house by her hair. On the final robbery he (along with some accomplices) bound and kidnapped a woman, took her to her (ex?)boyfriends residence and made her knock on the door. When the man opened the door and saw what was gong to happen he slammed the door. Johnny fired his gun through the door and killed the man. He says it was accidental and that sounds believable, but when you are this reckless with other peoples lives, can you call any death accidental? Any number of these previous robberies could have ended with death. I would say it was just a matter of time.
Large majorities are willing to forgive drug offenses, property crimes or non violent theft, but forgiveness is tougher for violent offenses. Especially when it comes to murder. Most people cant imagine inflicting that type of violence on another human so its easy to just categorize murderers as animals. It's not a huge logical leap to say that those who choose to take another humans life, forfeit their freedom forever. Forever sounds harsh, but that was the cost to the person Johnny killed, Jermaine Campbell, who was only 24. This is not a stance I would take or one we currently have (murderers don’t all get life), but it’s easy to see how someone would feel that way. Especially someone who lost a family member.
If the goal is to rehabilitate and protect the public from a dangerous person then this case seems pretty clear cut. Let him free. So I guess it comes down to deciding what portion of a sentence is punitive. Has he been punished enough for what he took?
(This was the best description I could find in 15 minutes. Not sure its all accurate and he may dispute some of these details)
Johnny, you have accomplished an amazing amount in your time in prison. I do hope freedom is available for you soon. In the meantime, I hope and pray you are a believer in Jesus Christ. Some of God’s best work was done from prison. Paul wrote Ephesians, Colossians and Philippians from behind bats. He will use you, too, if you are available. God bless you!
“Johnny” is generally recognized as the diminutive form of the name Jonathan or John. It is usually used for children until they outgrow the diminutive and become adults. When an adult keeps the diminutive of their name, Danny Johnny, Tommy, Billy, etc. It is usually for their close friends and relatives to use not for the world at large because in the world at large referring to someone with the diminutive of their name infantilizes them.
It makes everything sound off about the person. Why is a grown-as man calling himself Johnny? Is it because he thinks it’s cute or catchy? Does he understand Johnny is a child’s name and not a man’s name? It worked for Johnny Cash, but I don’t think it will work for Johnny Pippens.
John Pippins has done much better in prison than he ever did outside prison, and I think it would be wise for him to finish out his sentence and accomplish as much as he can while he’s safely behind bars. Remember John, it’s dangerous out there.
Isn’t it a misnomer to refer to John Pippins as a victim of any kind? Even of democratic politics.
In prison culture there is an expression, “if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime. Harsh, maybe, but true.
The best way to get out of prison is to never get into prison in the first place.
I hope you do beat the system John Pippins. But you already got a much better education for much less money than most people.
Are you grateful for the education that you achieved through taxpayer funding? One could make the argument that prison saved your life. The mortality rate for young criminals in Chicago is not that good.
Is there a better path for you to follow once you gain your release? Do we really need another academic expressing questionable narratives from an ivory tower. Preaching to the choir, so to speak.
Good for you for beating the system in your own way and thriving in very difficult circumstances.
I’m sure the sociologists can trace where things went wrong for you in this harsh life that we all must find our way through, but you were there, you know what happened, you were living in your mind when you committed crimes. I doubt you were forced to commit crimes.
In a perfect world, you deserve early release, but as we all know, this is far from a perfect world. It’s always buyer beware all the time.
Good luck to you, John.
Ah, the irony of Democrats. They let dangerous criminals go but keep reformed criminals locked up. It's reminiscent of their views on state-sanctioned killing -- they oppose the execution of mass murders but sanction and even subsidize the killing of the unborn right up to the moment of birth.
Tiz a puzzlement! On one hand we try to remove risk from our streets and lives and on another, we try to rehabilitate. Rehabilitation makes sense but how do we tell. How do we know the right measurements and how do we ensure we have the best judgement.
Johnny's story sounds obvious, but when did it become obvious? If now why not some time earlier in Johnny's journey?
It seems removing offenders from our lives and rehabilitation are two different mindsets and too complicated for one system to handle reliably. Daniel Kahneman reminds us in "NOISE" (error in judgement), that judges can't even apply their own judgement and craft reliably.
Johnny may be (now) easy to make a judgement on. But how do we make this work for everyone if we have not figured it out by now. Tiz a puzzlement!
Is there a GoFundMe or something for legal costs we could contribute to?
Johnny, God blesses you as a victim of Chicago Democratic politics. The left will always abandon civil society if it’s in their interests. TGS viewers, can we collectively seek justice for Johnny with our voices and resources?
So here is a very clear case in which the lax practices of district attorneys are hurting people who have served time and deserve far more than a second chance.
Is there anything readers can do, such as write letters of support to the appropriate authorities?
Dear Glenn,
I trust your judgement on this infinitely. I wish more men like you were in charge throughout our society. Thank you for telling us about Johnny Pippins and I will pray for him that he have someone like you with power in that particular system intercede for him. We have to be open to grace and it seems Johnny has earned this and can give so much back, which benefits us all if we let him.
If we make it impossible for people to ever be forgiven, we take away the incentive for self-improvement. Why should anyone try to better themselves in prison if they know that they can never be redeemed? It's very important that accomplishments like Johnny's be recognized so that others will see there is an actual viable path back to mainstream society.
John Hinckley Jr. is being released without restriction, numerous felons have gone un-prosecuted in Illinois, Jussie Smollett was reluctantly and belatedly prosecuted, but Johnny Pippins, who against all odds, clearly seems to have made a complete turn around, resulting in some very impressive achievements, is being kept incarcerated. Something is rotten in Denmark.....