 |
| Timeline of total number of inmates in U.S. prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities. From 1920 to 2006. Data sources: http://www.nationalinstituteofcorrections.gov/Library/015837 http://www.justicepolicy.org/images/upload/00-05_REP_PunishingDecade_AC.pdf http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=908 http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=1006. See also the data sources at File:US incarceration timeline.gif. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/bernard-kerik-prison-interview/2013/11/01/id/534389?ns_mail_uid=63138517&ns_mail_job=1544388_11012013&promo_code=1573C-1
I doubt that he's wrong. Last week, Udi Ofer, Executive Director the ACLU-NJ spoke at my university, where he recived a distinguished contributions award from our Law & Justice Program. Ofer was adamant that the so-called War on Drugs started a vicious pattern: stop-and-frisk tactics, resulting in detection of marijuana possession, resulting in incarceration.
According to Ofer, the US has more citizens incarcerated --- in sheer raw numbers and per capita --- than any other nation, China and Russia not excluded.
We are wasting lives and money. It's time to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use... on a nationwide basis. It's time to revisit mandatory sentencing guidelines.
No comments:
Post a Comment