Mass release Californian prisoners

Mass release Californian prisoners

www.news.com.au

CALIFORNIA has been tentatively ordered to release thousands of inmates in the next three years to stop dangerous overcrowding.

A panel of federal judges said they planned to order the system, swollen to about double its capacity last year, to cut down to 120 percent to 145 percent of capacity within two to three years.

They did not give a target headcount, but thousands would be released.

(visit the link for the full news article)

When minor 'criminals' are sent to prisons for 'crimes' such as drug use and possession, is it any wonder that prisons are over crowded?

No doubt, serious criminals, such as those who write graffitti on walls will stay inside, while other prisoners will be given preferential treatment.

It's a symptom of a broken legal and (in)justice system that there isn't enough room to hold all of the prisoners in jail. The law is broken, it needs fixing. Legalise drugs, many prisoners will no longer need the time behind bars.

www.news.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

S & F tezz, thanks for posting this.

I agree the amount of folks doing time for minor drug and other offenses is beyond ridiculous. It is an ENORMOUS waste of tax-funds keeping this type of ridiculous policy going. I hope this goes through and we put more focus on violent offenders.

reply to post by DimensionalDetective


Exactly, DD. How many US pResidents have admitted to smoking some weed? They confessed to a crime, so shouldn't they also be behind bars? It's pure hypocrisy.

Anyway, it shows that the system is not working. Maybe the FEMA camps aren't quite ready for all of the excess prisoners?


[edit on 9-2-2009 by tezzajw]

Could this be related to the MS-13 comin down hard in the near future?

Its gonna be wild

reply to post by DimensionalDetective


Waste?? Waste, you say? What about all of the federal, local, and state law enforcement agencies who can hire more guns and analysts because of War On Drugs funding? This means more vehicles, more electricity, more paper, more computers, etc. And the penal system? What about the anonymous private investors who make also make more money from higher incarceration rates? The developers who build the prisons, the food distributors who provide food for the inmates? The attorneys?

The reason you can't just up and legalize drugs has NOTHING to do with the moral absurdity of "crimes against society". It is a revenue-generating beast. Also, if you legalize drugs, you instantly take away part of the black funding program for the military and God knows which other agencies.

Frame the issue as one of human sovereignty and morality vs grubby, money hungry hypocrites and you will be close to the mark.

If you look at the Uniform Crime Report and other statistics about 83 percent of all incarcerations are for drug-related economic and violent crime for the past two decades. Roughly the same percentage will go on to be recidivists so they really are not accomplishing anything by this release other than temporarily sparing themselves the need to pay guards overtime or to hire enough staff. It's a Band Aid on an amputation.

One thing is for sure, I sure as hell would not want to be in California right now. Somehow I get the feeling parts of the west and southwest may be unliveable soon. Anyone from that region care to share how things are? Props to all of you who are coping especially those getting the IOU notes.

The sad thing about those people sent to prison for minor offenses is that they are now tougher and have learned more tricks of the trade. Add the fact that many people will not hire them, now you have potential felons being released.

More proof that the war on drugs has failed and that sending people to prison for small possessions or use smears that person chances of being productive in society.

Anyone wants to bet that they will release some killer or some rapist by accident?

Just you wait. And nobody will end up on the chopping block.

Release the drug people, unpaid taxes, unpaid tickets, ect... all those who are not a danger to society.

But the prison cartel is king in California.

Originally posted by tezzajw


When minor 'criminals' are sent to prisons for 'crimes' such as drug use and possession, is it any wonder that prisons are over crowded?

No doubt, serious criminals, such as those who write graffitti on walls will stay inside, while other prisoners will be given preferential treatment.

It's a symptom of a broken legal and (in)justice system that there isn't enough room to hold all of the prisoners in jail. The law is broken, it needs fixing. Legalise drugs, many prisoners will no longer need the time behind bars.

www.news.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

It it actually quite difficult to go to prison for drugs- especially in the California system. One generally has to have a a lengthy criminal record, or be convicted of trafficking to receive a prison sentence for a drug-related offense.

Stevegmu are you serious ??????


You heard of the three strikes law homie? U get caught smokin a .5 gram spliff once, u let off, twice maybe 30 days, three times, u can do 25 #in years.

A small exaggeration but the principle remains the same, 3 petty ass crimes and your gettin more time for dope than MURDER.

[edit on 9-2-2009 by unknown known]

Originally posted by unknown known
Stevegmu are you serious ??????


You heard of the three strikes law homie? U get caught smokin a .5 gram spliff once, u let off, twice maybe 30 days, three times, u can do 25 #in years.

3 strikes is for felony convictions. .5 gram of anything in California is a ticket, slap on the wrist, rehab, or fine.

Originally posted by stevegmu
[It it actually quite difficult to go to prison for drugs- especially in the California system.

Try telling that to the people who are in jail for doing drugs. I'm sure that they will have a different opinion.

Originally posted by tezzajw

Originally posted by stevegmu
[It it actually quite difficult to go to prison for drugs- especially in the California system.

Try telling that to the people who are in jail for doing drugs. I'm sure that they will have a different opinion.

Just how does someone get sentenced to prison for doing drugs? If someone uses drugs in privacy of their own home, doesn't sell drugs, nor goes out while under the effects of drugs, they will never be caught.

Originally posted by stevegmu
If someone uses drugs in privacy of their own home,

One of the last bastions of privacy that's almost available to people - their own home.

It won't be long before the cops will be permitted to kick down doors because they don't like the colour. Then, people having a quiet toke will be exposed for the criminals that they are.

What about the people stopped for a 'routine' traffic pullover in their cars. They are searched by the cops and are found with a tiny bit of weed for personal use... it's off to the police station with them. I don't watch a lot of COPS the TV show, but I see innocent people pulled over, all the time and found with drugs on them. They do get caught, when they are seized and searched.

[edit on 10-2-2009 by tezzajw]

Even if drugs are legalized, you still have those who are high who will still do violent things. Drugs do that, we all know this. We'd put a punch on the Bushes and Zapata Oil among others, but really we'd be in the same boat with the amount of crimes. Marijuana, okay, not so bad, but coc aine, heroin, '___', etc? You have any idea what we'd have?

About damn time. Shame it had to come under these circumstances, and too bad it will do more harm than good. And this is how big government shills, special interest groups, and the media spin it when sh*t hits the fan.

It's often worse than when we had a choice, back when Gov. Schwarzenegger proposed it last year. Now we will likely see full recklessness in effect here, with no doubt more than a "few" errors causing the release of more serious offenders.

Now, the government gets to say: we know we know, we didn't want to - it's not our fault, and thus demonize the true solution instead of recognize that it was proposed long ago. Luckily, states are still constrained by this power: the federal government is not.

just wanted to point out, this isnt exactly new

id say for at least the past 5 years, probably more, california has had this same type of policy

id say its just being used on a wider scale for this circumstance

unfortunately i have some 1st hand experience in this

and in california, normally if you're arrested for a non violent crime, or anything not really serious, you spend the night and then you are released fairly quickly

they use d.e.j. (deferred entry of judgement) prop 36 and other kinds of probation and parole situations fairly fast to deal with these kinds of cases

even judges were in on the act, for example i had one judge in L.A. we were all there for traffic situations, some misdemeanor some felonies, basically what happened, was everyone there had there situations lowered to simple tickets and the judge was done with everything, it basically allows them to process id say 100-200 people all before noon, and each one leaves with a hefty bill for fines or doing a lot of community service

it saves them time and money by not having to prosecute everyone and have cases for each situation, because honestly they know, and we all know how the system works, and everyone there would much rather just pay a fine guilty or not rather then dealing with the process


it does relieve the strain on the prison system, but puts one hell of a strain on the probation system

Originally posted by secretagent woooman
If you look at the Uniform Crime Report and other statistics about 83 percent of all incarcerations are for drug-related economic and violent crime for the past two decades. Roughly the same percentage will go on to be recidivists so they really are not accomplishing anything by this release other than temporarily sparing themselves the need to pay guards overtime or to hire enough staff. It's a Band Aid on an amputation.

One thing is for sure, I sure as hell would not want to be in California right now. Somehow I get the feeling parts of the west and southwest may be unliveable soon. Anyone from that region care to share how things are? Props to all of you who are coping especially those getting the IOU notes.

I'm from So California and things are great here,well with the exception of the rain but we needed it,everything is fine here,no riots ,no high crime,think you read into things too much

The problem I see with legalizing drugs is that there will be some people that will still OD or fry their brains to the point where they are walking vegetables. Granted, that happens now, but making it legal to get the hard drugs will allow people that are just curious to do this as well. Now who is going to support these people? There's not a chance that we'd let them pay for their own mistakes.

I think that legalizing drugs would solve a lot of problems, but it would create just as many.