INMATES GO FREE (Kentucky state)

[Ferre]

(1) INMATES GO FREE TO HELP STATES REDUCE DEFICITS

 

LEXINGTON,  Ky.,  - They began walking out of the Fayette County Jail

here  this  afternoon, the first of 567 Kentucky state prison inmates

that  Gov.  Paul  E.  Patton abruptly ordered released this week in a

step to reduce a $500 million budget deficit.

 

Governor  Patton  said  only nonviolent offenders were being given the

early  mass  commutation.  But  those  let  out  today  included  men

convicted of burglary, theft, arson and drug possession, some of them

chronic criminals.

 

"A  percentage of them are going to recommit a crime, and some of them

are  going  to  be  worse than the crimes they are in for," Mr. Patton

acknowledged  in  announcing the emergency releases. But, he added, "I

have to do what I have to do to live within the revenue that we have."

 

It  is  a  quandary that confronts an increasing number of politicians

across  the  nation  in  this time of deficits. After three decades of

building  ever  more  prisons  and  passing  tougher  sentencing laws,

politicians  now  see  themselves  as  being  forced to choose between

keeping a lid on spending or being tough on crime.

 

As  a result, states are laying off prison guards, or giving prisoners

emergency early releases like those in Kentucky. Some states have gone

so  far  as  to  repeal  mandatory  minimum  sentences or to send drug

offenders to treatment rather than to prison in an effort to slow down

the inflow of new inmates.

 

[snip]

 

Pubdate: Thu, 19 Dec 2002

Source: New York Times (NY)

Copyright: 2002 The New York Times Company

Website: http://www.nytimes.com/

Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298

Author: Fox Butterfield

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n2291.a06.html

[Ferre]

Law Enforcement & Prisons

- -------------------------

 

COMMENT: (10-14)

 

More reports this week explain the significant role drug prohibition

plays in a nation-wide prison crisis. Contrary to assertions from

prohibitionists, it's not the kingpins that are filling the cells.

Of the 58,000 drug convictions won by officials in Harris County,

Texas, 77 percent involved the possession of less than a single gram

of drugs. Over five years, 35,000 of those sub-gram convicts went to

jail or prison.

 

Up to the north, in Oklahoma, the story is just as scandalous. The

overcrowded system is hosting more and more drug offenders. Right

now, drug offenders represent 40 percent of incoming prisoners. Yet,

the state continues to push longer sentences, as a new

methamphetamine manufacture law was factored into a sentence for the

first time last week. Taxpayers will be paying for a 43 year prison

stay for a man convicted over 80 measly grams of meth.

 

And speaking of wasted taxpayer dollars, as states attempt to slash

costs across the board, the prison industry seems immune in

California. And in another grim reminder that the drug war can have

consequences beyond financial disaster, police in Kentucky

acknowledged they found no drugs during a bust that ended in the

shooting death of a handcuffed suspect.

 

[snip]

 

Pubdate: Sun, 15 Dec 2002

Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)

Copyright: 2002 Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division

Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/198

Author: Rachel Graves

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n2274/a01.html

[Ferre]

(10) WAR ON DRUGS NETS SMALL-TIME OFFENDERS

 

Texas' war on drugs punishes few major importers and dealers but

imprisons thousands caught with less than a sugar packet full of

cocaine or other illegal drugs.

 

The battle rages most fiercely in Harris County.

 

Of the 58,000 drug convictions won by local prosecutors over the

past five years, 77 percent involved less than a gram of a drug,

according to district court data analyzed by the Houston Chronicle.

Harris County sent 35,000 of these small-time offenders to jail or

prison.

 

The numbers suggest that these men and women are collateral damage

in the war on drugs, arrested because they were easy targets rather

than objects of a grand strategy.

 

[snip]

 

Pubdate: Sun, 15 Dec 2002

Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)

Copyright: 2002 Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division

Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/198

Author: Rachel Graves

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n2274/a01.html

[Ferre]

(11) DRUG SENTENCES FILL PRISONS

 

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Drug convictions are continuing to drive up the

state's bulging inmate population at a time when funding for additional

bed space appears scarce.

 

K.C. Moon, director of the Criminal Justice Resource Center, said

the state has space for 21,500 offenders but houses 23,000. It

depends on private prison contracts for some of that space.

 

[snip]

 

"Drug offenses are the No. 1 offense that people go to prison for,"

Moon said. "It is about 40 percent of all receptions."

 

Ten years ago, drug crimes represented 23 percent of all prison

receptions.

 

"Drug crimes are consistently going up every year," Moon said.

 

Drug arrests have increased to 14.2 percent of all arrests in 2001

from 8 percent in 1989, according to the Sentencing Commission

report. The increase is a 78 percent hike, according to the report.

Drug arrests include sale, manufacturing and possession of drugs.

 

Meanwhile, arrests for crimes such as murder, rape, robbery,

aggravated assault, burglary and larceny have decreased 26 percent,

from 14.5 percent of total arrests to 10.7 percent during the same

time, according to the report.

 

[snip]

 

Pubdate: Sat, 14 Dec 2002

Source: Tulsa World (OK)

Copyright: 2002 World Publishing Co.

Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/463

Author: Barbara Hoberock, World Capitol Bureau

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n2284/a12.html

[Guest Urbanhog]

Taxpayers will be paying for a 43 year prison stay for a man convicted over 80 measly grams of meth.

All governments waste taxpayers $$$ anyway....

 

80 grams of meth, a dealer here in QLD could make $14,440...... for selling $180 a gram (a guy I know sells them to the truckies)........ seems most dealers sell as "0.5" for around $100..... so there's a big money in the meth business.

 

I personally don't care how long meth/whizz, smack, coke dealers stay in the jail for, its not my problem. But I think users should be treated as a "health issue".....

 

Have you seen the meth kitchens in Australia? They are so disgusting filthly and dirty, and users are the "guiena pigs" there's no quailty control or whatever..... so thats why I don't give a sod how long these dealers stay in jail for.... http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/contrib/edoom/let_it_all_out.gif http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/ups/dvx_rune/grumble.gif

 

cheers, Urbanhog http://64.207.13.28/mysmilies/contrib/tweetz/spam4.gif

[Ferre]

Taxpayers will be paying for a 43 year prison stay for a man convicted over 80 measly grams of meth.

All governments waste taxpayers $$$ anyway....

 

80 grams of meth, a dealer here in QLD could make $14,440...... for selling $180 a gram (a guy I know sells them to the truckies)........ seems most dealers sell as "0.5" for around $100..... so there's a big money in the meth business.

 

I personally don't care how long meth/whizz, smack, coke dealers stay in the jail for, its not my problem. But I think users should be treated as a "health issue".....

 

Have you seen the meth kitchens in Australia? They are so disgusting filthly and dirty, and users are the "guiena pigs" there's no quailty control or whatever..... so thats why I don't give a sod how long these dealers stay in jail for.... http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/contrib/edoom/let_it_all_out.gif http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/ups/dvx_rune/grumble.gif

 

cheers, Urbanhog http://64.207.13.28/mysmilies/contrib/tweetz/spam4.gif

80 grams..that's 160 times $ 100,...that's $ 16000 if I'm correct?

 

why does that "measly" suddenly doesn't sound so "measly" anymore uh?

 

.....but still I don't think ppl should get behind bars for their recreational comsuption of any kind of drugs. What we need is regulations, like for car traffic, we can't stop ppl from having accidents but we can make it safer to drive trough regulations...the only one's that have something to gain now is the real big criminals,..regulating drugs would get them out of business,...I think.

[Guest Urbanhog]

80 grams..that's 160 times $ 100,...that's $ 16000 if I'm correct?

 

.....but still I don't think ppl should get behind bars for their recreational comsuption of any kind of drugs. What we need is regulations, like for car traffic, we can't stop ppl from having accidents but we can make it safer to drive trough regulations...the only one's that have something to gain now is the real big criminals,..regulating drugs would get them out of business,...I think.

Yes, the guy I know sells in grams for $180 or $100 for "0.5" so its $16,000 if sold 80 grams in "0.5" deals or $14400 if sold in 80 x "gram" deals, get the picture T-boat?

 

Yes I argee with ya that users shouldn't be in jail, like I said eariler, it should be treated as "health issue".

 

The dealers... I think I have said enough above.

 

http://www.jamezbrown.com/mysmilies/otn/angels/tdo9.gif http://216.40.249.192/mysmilies/contrib/edoom/smiley_on_tredmil.gif http://216.40.249.192/mysmilies/contrib/drowned/tank.gif

[Ferre]

..ya man, I agree totally, how much would that be worth if it was legal? not enough for the dealers to be interested I think.

Not saying that there no need for regulation here,..but hell,...every other thing on this planet is regulated if it's some kind of risk for us human kind,.so we can find some way easy if the will is there too.

[Guest Urbanhog]

There's a great novel called "Dagger Dark" or "Dark Dagger" something like that. I will have to find out, its written by a Aussie authur, forgot his name, its a real surreal and trippy book, its set in Year 2020 or something where ALL drugs are legal, and its set in USA, even speed and many harder drugs, and the drug industry is controlled by big chemical companies and they have created many new designer drugs, etc... and its about one big chemical company who made drugs, and it made users go crazy and kill people the chemical company was trying to cover up to prevent being sued or somthing, its just like how tobacco companies are trying to cover up the tobacco's side effects, etc.. but with "legal harder drugs"

 

This novel gives a great idea "what if/what happens if" all drugs were legalised....

 

There was a sence in the novel it was like "Opium Den" but all users had permanet drip tube attached to their arms/bodies, and they just plug into this "drug machine" when the users have paid a "fee".

 

I have to go back to the library and find the name of that book, it was a great thriller novel, read it about 4-5 years ago.

 

I had this real interesting chat with someone years ago, and reckoned in the future, people will get "addicted" to electronics, sort of like virtiual reality, and the "machine" sends "waves" to the brain to get people "high" and they end up getting addicted to the "machine" that gives you choices of "drug's high" you wish to receive from the "machine" and the users will never buy drugs again, and it will be the big electric companies possiblity like Sony will benefit from it. Sounds way too "Star Trek" uh heheh but if you think about it, it's not impossible, anything is possible these days.

 

Urbanhog

[Guest Urbanhog]

did bit of search http://smilies.networkessence.net/s/otn/other/program.gif

 

Yeah, looked up www.amazon.com 's book store... http://smilies.networkessence.net/s/contrib/edoom/mouth_water.gif

 

yeah its called "DAGGER DARK" written by Richard Millership, published by Random House Australia, printed in 1997, costs $16.16 from www.seekbooks.com.au, it's out of stock in Amazon's Bookstore.

 

Cheers Urbanhog http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/otn/shocked/smilygifs436.gif http://smilies.networkessence.net/s/games/sailormoon/mercury/merc_sspray.gif