Good points Jordan. The changes from 'old law' to 'new law' regarding drug offenses have filled our prisons with too many non-violent, small time dealers/users, mostly minority folks. Discrepancies in crack/powder guidelines are also unconscionable. It's time for a change.
Michael Hohmann Linden Hills ...slowly working my way through several days of accumulated list posts. > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Behalf Of Jordan Kushner > Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 12:16 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [Mpls] HIGH ALERT - H.F. 1829 > > snip > More significant is the huge disconnect between the undisputed > problems related to drugs in inner cities and Barbara's > insistence on sending people to prison for as long as possible. > Where is the evidence of a relationship between the problem and > the "solution." The current sentencing laws have been on the > books for at least 15 years. For larger level drug dealing, the > federal government has been sending people to prison for 10, 20, > 30 years or life for the past 20 years. Apparently none of these > outrageous sentences have alleviated Barbara's complaints about > drugs in her neighborhood. Time has proven that the knee-jerk > reaction of locking up inner-city youngsters and drug addicts and > throwing away the key is ineffective (not to mention unjust). Is > it not time to try something different? > > The main reason that the legislative changes have any chance is > that the prisons are on the verge of overcrowding. A very high > percentage of these innmates are non-violent drug offenders. It > costs $20,000 per year to incarcerate people. That money could > easily cover treatment, education and job training for each drug > offender. All much more effective solutions than warehousing > people in cages. > > Barbara's comment AND UNDERSTANDING that a motivating factor for > lesser sentences being the concern with suburban methamphetamine > dealers doing hard prison time like inner-city drug dealers > really gets to the racist heart of the matter. The "war on > drugs" is really a war on people of color. Most people > incarcerated for drugs are Black, Latino, or Native American. As > soon as while people start going to prison in large numbers, > there is pressure to lighten the sentences. > > Jordan Kushner > downtown lawyer > former resident of Powderhorn, Stevens Sqaure, West Bank. > snip REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
