Police State: Nonviolent Offenders Obeyed State Laws, Went To Jail Anyway...

[Flopper]

'Half the prison population is nonviolent drug offenders'


Sharanda Jones never considered herself a criminal mastermind. Her job was just buying the cocaine powder; other members of the organization rendered it into crack cocaine and sold it. Jones owned a gun — for self-protection — but never used it.

And yet Jones, a nonviolent drug purchaser, is serving life without parole — at a cost to the taxpayers of over a million dollars.

“She was treated as a leader, and at the time she really believed that she was minimally involved and decided to go to trial,” said Molly Gill, government affairs counsel at Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a criminal justice advocacy organization. “When you do that … if you are a leader convicted, that’s considered perjury. All of those factors bumped her sentence up and up and up.”

At issue are federal laws that compel judges to impose harsh sentences on convicted defendants. Most cover nonviolent offenses and are largely drug related.

But thanks to a growing sense among people on all sides of the political spectrum that the law should change, Congress is poised to revisit mandatory minimums. It was recently announced that the Justice Safety Valve Act, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, will get a Senate committee hearing in September.

If approved by Congress, the act would restore some measure of discretion to judges, allowing them to impose lighter sentences on nonviolent offenders when appropriate.

Mandatory minimums are an increasing concern for Conservatives. For one thing, the cost to incarcerate nonviolent offenders is simply too high...

Read more: Nonviolent offenders obeyed state laws, went to jail anyway | The Daily Caller

This is mind-blowing, because I remember the Reagan "law and order" politicos making real political hay out of making outlandish sentencing guidelines for relatively minor offenses. Republicans just LOVED prison back in the 80's.

Are you telling me that the "law and order" crowd is finally rethinking this? It's a bit late, since much damage has already been done . . .

Sending a person to prison for a minor drug offense puts two strikes on their record when it comes to finding employment, a felony conviction and drug abuse, something no employer wants to deal with. It's possible to get pass this, but it's hard and most never do. It often leads to a life of dependency on drugs, alcohol, family, friends, and public assistance. The effects of dependency in one way or another effects us all. Until we are ready to deal with drug addiction as an illness instead of a crime, not much is going to change.

 

[OriginalShroom]

Maybe doing drugs isn't as wrong as you think it is? Maybe it isn't even a crime? Think on it for a bit.

People aren't arrested or go to jail for "doing drugs".

They get arrested for having drugs or for what they did while on drugs.

Merely being high doesn't get you arrested.

Unfortunately, that's not necessarily true. Our Prisons are filled with people who just don't belong there. Some people do enjoy drugs, but that doesn't necessarily make them awful criminals. Most users are peaceful nonviolent people who pose no threat to Society. They don't belong in cages with brutal Murderers and Rapists. It's time for our judicial system to evolve.

Show me one person ever convicted for being high?

I've never seen it.

I've only seen people charged with possession or for selling, intent to sell or for their actions while high.

I will have to say that I have to exempt the military from that statement. Being High is against the Regulations and is punishable under the UCMJ.

 

[OKTexas]

People will always commit crimes. That's never gonna change. But yes, legalizing some current 'crimes' would be a step in the right direction. Nonviolent drug offenders don't belong in Prisons alongside brutal Murderers and Rapists. It's time to consider more logical humane options.

The more crimes you "legalize" the less crime there is, right?

Forget about what's right or wrong.. That doesn't matter.

Maybe doing drugs isn't as wrong as you think it is? Maybe it isn't even a crime? Think on it for a bit.

Are you saying the crackheads this woman supplied never ever kill anyone for $40.00 at an ATM to pay for her product? The drug business by its very nature is violent and people like you think you can sort through the trash, and some how redeem these people, you can't. Drugs have some of the highest numbers of repeat offenders of any crime. Personally I think all drug dealers should be charged with attempted mass murder and put away for ever or killed, that should be the punishment for selling poison.

 

[Flopper]

That's your right.

You're wrong.. But you have the right to be wrong.

There's too many nonviolent drug offenders in our Prisons. It's costly and unnecessary.

If you're caught with a small amount and you're not dealing I agree.
If you're dealing? Off to prison with your dumb ass self.

For many if not most addicts, dealing eventually becomes the only way to supporting the habit, first to friends then to anyone that will that pay the price.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Half the non violent offenders are violent, but just happened to be sentenced on a non violent beef. Or, just part of the charges are non violent, the rest are very violent.

Link?

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

She deserves every second of the sentence she got.

If she didn't want to go to jail, she shouldn't have been buying drug.

I disagree.

I agree that the sentence she got is absurd, but let's stop pretending that this woman is innocent because she's not.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Sending a person to prison for a minor drug offense puts two strikes on their record when it comes to finding employment, a felony conviction and drug abuse, something no employer wants to deal with. It's possible to get pass this, but it's hard and most never do. It often leads to a life of dependency on drugs, alcohol, family, friends, and public assistance. The effects of dependency in one way or another effects us all. Until we are ready to deal with drug addiction as an illness instead of a crime, not much is going to change.

Cancer is an illness. Influenza is an illness. Drug addiction is a lifestyle choice.

That said, I do agree that it should not be a crime. Decriminalize them and let's finally be done with this nonsense once and for all.

 

[Avatar4321]

Sending a person to prison for a minor drug offense puts two strikes on their record when it comes to finding employment, a felony conviction and drug abuse, something no employer wants to deal with. It's possible to get pass this, but it's hard and most never do. It often leads to a life of dependency on drugs, alcohol, family, friends, and public assistance. The effects of dependency in one way or another effects us all. Until we are ready to deal with drug addiction as an illness instead of a crime, not much is going to change.

We aren't talking about a minor drug offense in this case. We are talking about a supplying drugs to drug dealers. Having drugs for personal use is one thing, dealing is completely different.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

There's too many nonviolent drug offenders in our Prisons. It's costly and unnecessary.

If you're caught with a small amount and you're not dealing I agree.
If you're dealing? Off to prison with your dumb ass self.

For many if not most addicts, dealing eventually becomes the only way to supporting the habit, first to friends then to anyone that will that pay the price.

Then off to prison with their dumb ass self. It will give them a chance to dry out.
And if they've become such junkies you can bet they've been arrested in the past and didnt learn anything.

 

[JakeStarkey]

'Half the prison population is nonviolent drug offenders'


Sharanda Jones never considered herself a criminal mastermind. Her job was just buying the cocaine powder; other members of the organization rendered it into crack cocaine and sold it. Jones owned a gun — for self-protection — but never used it.

And yet Jones, a nonviolent drug purchaser, is serving life without parole — at a cost to the taxpayers of over a million dollars.

“She was treated as a leader, and at the time she really believed that she was minimally involved and decided to go to trial,” said Molly Gill, government affairs counsel at Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a criminal justice advocacy organization. “When you do that … if you are a leader convicted, that’s considered perjury. All of those factors bumped her sentence up and up and up.”

At issue are federal laws that compel judges to impose harsh sentences on convicted defendants. Most cover nonviolent offenses and are largely drug related.

But thanks to a growing sense among people on all sides of the political spectrum that the law should change, Congress is poised to revisit mandatory minimums. It was recently announced that the Justice Safety Valve Act, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, will get a Senate committee hearing in September.

If approved by Congress, the act would restore some measure of discretion to judges, allowing them to impose lighter sentences on nonviolent offenders when appropriate.

Mandatory minimums are an increasing concern for Conservatives. For one thing, the cost to incarcerate nonviolent offenders is simply too high...

Read more: Nonviolent offenders obeyed state laws, went to jail anyway | The Daily Caller

Watch the private prison and guards union lobbies fight against sensible legislation to reduce sentences for lesser crimes. Watch their supporters, like Yurt and bigrebnc and others, support those lobbies.

 

[paulitician]

People do drugs, we know that. But that doesn't mean they're awful criminals who belong in cages. Obviously, violent behavior should be dealt with severely. I think most can agree on that. But doing drugs should not necessarily = criminal behavior. It's a bit absurd to cage people for merely choosing to get high. That's their call. They should be free to make that call.

 

[JakeStarkey]

100% right

 

[Flopper]

Sending a person to prison for a minor drug offense puts two strikes on their record when it comes to finding employment, a felony conviction and drug abuse, something no employer wants to deal with. It's possible to get pass this, but it's hard and most never do. It often leads to a life of dependency on drugs, alcohol, family, friends, and public assistance. The effects of dependency in one way or another effects us all. Until we are ready to deal with drug addiction as an illness instead of a crime, not much is going to change.

Cancer is an illness. Influenza is an illness. Drug addiction is a lifestyle choice.

That said, I do agree that it should not be a crime. Decriminalize them and let's finally be done with this nonsense once and for all.

A lot of people would disagree with you including myself. One does not wake up one day and decide to become a drug addict. It's not a conscious choice.

 

[auditor0007]

So she conspires to deal drugs and we are supposed to somehow feel bad for her?

What about all those people who have been killed because of powder she bought?

Sorry no sympathy. You don't want to serve jail time for a "non-violent" offense? Don't commit a "non-violent" offense. Pure and simple.

When we find a person guilty of a crime, we have a choice between punishment and rehabilitation, or preferably a combination of the two. If a convicted criminal is able to be rehabilitated and made to be a productive member of society, it is just illogical to lock them up for life. We should only be lock people up for life who are known killers and are a definite threat to kill again. The same holds true for serial rapists and pedophiles. Small time drug dealers can turn their lives around. For no reason should we be keeping someone like this in prison for their entire life.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Culture would be far better off decriminalizing most drug offenses.

I have no responsibility to save anyone from themselves.

 

[speck]

Sending a person to prison for a minor drug offense puts two strikes on their record when it comes to finding employment, a felony conviction and drug abuse, something no employer wants to deal with. It's possible to get pass this, but it's hard and most never do. It often leads to a life of dependency on drugs, alcohol, family, friends, and public assistance. The effects of dependency in one way or another effects us all. Until we are ready to deal with drug addiction as an illness instead of a crime, not much is going to change.

Cancer is an illness. Influenza is an illness. Drug addiction is a lifestyle choice.

That said, I do agree that it should not be a crime. Decriminalize them and let's finally be done with this nonsense once and for all.

A lot of people would disagree with you including myself. One does not wake up one day and decide to become a drug addict. It's not a conscious choice.

As a teenager, I chose not to try drugs because I was aware of the possibilty of becoming addicted.

 

[S.J.]

I agree with you, Paul, non-violent people should not be in prison, but you picked a bad case to make your point. Too many effective arguments can be used against you with that one.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Police State: Nonviolent Offenders Obeyed State Laws, Went To Jail Anyway...

Unsurprisingly, this makes no sense.

These individuals are offenders, found guilty of a crime in a court of law, afforded all due process. And they were subject to penalties in accordance with the law.

One might argue the penalties are too severe, but this in no way constitutes a ‘police state.’

Clearly the OP is ignorant as to the actual meaning of the term.

 

[theHawk]

'Half the prison population is nonviolent drug offenders'


Sharanda Jones never considered herself a criminal mastermind. Her job was just buying the cocaine powder; other members of the organization rendered it into crack cocaine and sold it. Jones owned a gun — for self-protection — but never used it.

And yet Jones, a nonviolent drug purchaser, is serving life without parole — at a cost to the taxpayers of over a million dollars.

“She was treated as a leader, and at the time she really believed that she was minimally involved and decided to go to trial,” said Molly Gill, government affairs counsel at Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a criminal justice advocacy organization. “When you do that … if you are a leader convicted, that’s considered perjury. All of those factors bumped her sentence up and up and up.”

At issue are federal laws that compel judges to impose harsh sentences on convicted defendants. Most cover nonviolent offenses and are largely drug related.

But thanks to a growing sense among people on all sides of the political spectrum that the law should change, Congress is poised to revisit mandatory minimums. It was recently announced that the Justice Safety Valve Act, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, will get a Senate committee hearing in September.

If approved by Congress, the act would restore some measure of discretion to judges, allowing them to impose lighter sentences on nonviolent offenders when appropriate.

Mandatory minimums are an increasing concern for Conservatives. For one thing, the cost to incarcerate nonviolent offenders is simply too high...

Read more: Nonviolent offenders obeyed state laws, went to jail anyway | The Daily Caller

Well gee, if she didn't want to do life in prison maybe should could of picked a profession that benefits society, instead of being a fucking drug dealer.

Her job was "just to buy the powder". What a crock of shit. She gets no sympathy from me, nor do any of her ilk. I hope she rots in prison her whole life.

 

[theHawk]

Sending a person to prison for a minor drug offense puts two strikes on their record when it comes to finding employment, a felony conviction and drug abuse, something no employer wants to deal with. It's possible to get pass this, but it's hard and most never do. It often leads to a life of dependency on drugs, alcohol, family, friends, and public assistance. The effects of dependency in one way or another effects us all. Until we are ready to deal with drug addiction as an illness instead of a crime, not much is going to change.

Cancer is an illness. Influenza is an illness. Drug addiction is a lifestyle choice.

That said, I do agree that it should not be a crime. Decriminalize them and let's finally be done with this nonsense once and for all.

A lot of people would disagree with you including myself. One does not wake up one day and decide to become a drug addict. It's not a conscious choice.

Really? These people were forced to take drugs against their will?

Doing drugs for the first time is a conscious choice, no matter what spin you put on it.