Just do it, Jussie

Chicago police receive hundreds, possibly thousands of false police reports yearly. Virtually all receive no publicity and are quickly resolved and forgotten.

Not so with Jussie Smollett's hate crime hoax reported to police early on January 29, 2019. As a hate crime reported by a public figure, Chicago police and other criminal justice resources swung into action. Dozens of detectives spent several thousand hours investigating the alleged crime. Within 3 weeks, Smollett's claim fell apart and he became the subject of a crime itself; lying to police about a phantom crime.

More man-hours and expenses were expended determining justice for Jussie. States Attorney Kim Fox's decision not to prosecute set off a firestorm of public anger that resulted in a Special Prosecutor to undo what smacked of prosecutorial malfeasance. Thousands more hours and dollars, and nearly 3 years resulted in justice; conviction of Smollett on 5 of 6 counts of disorderly conduct for lying to police.

Smollett’s crime was nonviolent, at least in the literal sense. But the damage to our police and criminal justice system in wasted resources was immense. The damage to the public was worse. Likely, some violent crimes were not prevented and some violent criminals were not apprehended due to these lost resources.

As bad a Smollett’s crime was, he should not waste further resources sitting in prison. While probation of some form appears likely, Smollett could begin to redeem himself by two simple moves: admit his guilt and agree to pay the cost of this sorrowful squandering of the public treasure. The first step costs nothing except personal courage and decency. With an estimated net worth of a half million, the second step is affordable.

Come on, Jussie. Be like Nike…Just Do It.