According to a recent poll, sixty percent of Americans oppose laws mandating minimum prison terms for non-violent crimes, such as drug offenses, according to the Christian Monitor.
Mandatory sentencing means that there is no individual justice. A Judge, upon seeing someone turn their life around, after a drug related brush with the law, must give them the same sentence as someone who has no intention to improve their lot. The only similarity is the drugs they were caught with. This leaves the courts, not the Judges imposing the sentence.
This means that more individuals realize that mandatory sentencing laws for drug possession can make effective drug rehab meaningless in the eyes of the law. An offender, who is a drug abuser, may be charged with a drug related crime, graduate from successful drug treatment and turn their life around, only to be sent to prison. There is no one who benefits from this and society could lose potentially productive individuals to prison where they are likely to be ruined.
Is it any wonder that we have the highest per capita rate of incarceration in the world?
Hopefully the public will make their voices heard about this issue. After all, they are the ones footing the bill.
http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2008/poll-60-percent-of-public.html
If you or someone you know needs help please contact 1-877-413-3073.
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