I would guess that if there are people on this list that have either served time or know someone that has / is serving time for a drug crime, the crime was NON-VIOLENT and the amount of time served is purly an injustice to those left behind, the families that stuggle while the laws that were supposedly made to protect out children from "drug dealing monsters". My husband is serving a 17 year sentence as a first time non-violent drug offender. He wasn't caught with anything, yet he is serving 11 years longer thenhis co-defendent who has 6 other felonies and was caught with a bunch of coke right next to him. Is this justice? NO! The "drug dealing monstor" is the one that will be back on the streets, possibly dealing to my daughter while my husband sits, unable to protect his family for the likes of the real criminal. We must not allow this kind of stuff to continue. There are to many families, to many lives being destroyed in the name of the drug war. I would rather see non-violent offenders doing community service thenseeing them (the govt) allowing violent criminals free to make room for people like my husband. Like it or not people, that is what is happeneing. Rapists serve less time on average not drug offenders. Is that justice?

I UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATION KALI--
I TOO HAVE NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE LAWS PERTAINING TO DRUG OFFENSES-- IN MY OPINION THE CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM SHOULD BE ABOUT "CORRECTION" OR MORE SIMPLY PUT GIVING PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME THE INTERVENTION THEY NEED SO THEY CAN MAKE THE NEEDED CHANGES TO LIVE A PRODUCTIVE LIFE IN SOCIETY--SO FOR ADDICTS, THAT WOULD MEAN SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT, OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN TO LIVE A NON-ADDICTIVE LIFESTYLE--NOT WAREHOUSING IN A PRISON WHERE THEY BECOME INDOCTRINED TO A SUBCULTURE OF "SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST"--I READ ONE OF YOUR POSTS ON ANOTHER THREAD THAT SAID YOU ARE INVOLVED IN SOME PRISON REFORM EFFORTS--KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK-I AM TOO HERE IN NC--WE CAN MAKE PEOPLE ACKNOWLEDGE THE INJUSTICES, TOGETHER---PEOPLE MAKE POLICY AND PEOPLE CAN CHANGE POLICY

BE STRONG AND TAKE CARE

Hi I am writing to say I agree with you. My husband was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams of meth. He got 92 months in Federal Prison. They moved him last Friday from the jail here and we havent heard anything we dont know where he is or anything. We have a 4 and 1/2 year old and she is missing he daddy so much. The laws arent fair in all realality she is the one who is paying because she is missing out on her daddy. The laws are really messed up.

You may want to enter his name in the bop inmate locator just to see what comes up.. You never know? Might be worth a try.. or, if you would like to put his name & reg. number I will do it for you (email or here).

Here is the link..

Federal Bureau of Prisons (http://www.bop.gov)

www.bop.gov

I hope you are able to locate him soon. I know it is hard to see your daughter missing her daddy. i have a four year old daughter too, and five other girls ranging in age from 7-16. i agree with you that the families are convicted right along with the offender, and as if that is not bad enough, the DOC makes it as difficult as possible for families to stay together-by making strict visitation rules, moving men and women to prisons far away from their families, etc... But I believe that love can conquer anything..and no one can put any bars between what is heart to heart and soul to soul. Hang in there-we'll make it through this--much love

sherri

You should beable to find him on the locator. My daughter was 2 when her dad went away. It is hard but they actually get used to it. In the beginning the visits were realy bad, like pouring salt on an open cut, now, its like visiting any other family memeber. Just be honest with your kid, that makes a world of difference. I find myself now having to correct some of the things I said in the beginning because I didn't think she could understand the trust, like daddy will be home soon. Now she is mad because I told her that, fact is daddy won't be home until shes all grown up. I should have been honest. Sherri, your right, bars can not stop the love, no matter the distance hang in there, someway some how you will figure it all out. They are tough on pushing a connection between drugs and terrorism right now so it is gonna be hard but my thougt is that I am tougher and I will make it. So can you...Kali

I went ahead and split this forum in two. Eddyswife's introduction and comments have been moved to Introductions & Stories.

http://www.prisontalkonline.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=201

Just in case anyone was wondering! :)

David

Why is it the drug user, addicts, are locked up leaving the dealers free to make more to fill our jails? How is it the courts are blind in some cases to the possiblity of drug related crimes and not to others? Note how fast Bush's daughter got rehab - not sentenced? Gee I guess my son had the wrong last name. Judge didn't consider we had him Baker Acted and Marchmen Acted and put him into rehab to have him walk out before his "crime". His crime was he was addicted to coke at 16yrs old! Yes, he made some stupid mistakes but I truely don't feel this system is just. Granted everything happens for a reason and the nice thing about visitation is my son is sober! But it's a h*ll of a way to grow up. cl

Cheryl. I know your post was back in March, but I just read it and I just had to say something. You are so right when you ask why is it that the dealers aren't locked up, but people like my boyfriend and your son are? I mean, I have all the info I could possibly want about my boyfriend's dealer, (he gave it to me before he went in just in case the guy started calling my house or something) I even know where he hides his damn stash and I haven't even met the guy! It makes me so mad because even though it is my boyfriend's fault that he is in this position, his dealer is making more money then I will see in a lifetime, he has a death grip on the people that think they need him to survive, and yet, he is sitting pretty. It is just so crazy!!!:pissed:

I can totally understand. The guy who set Billy up along with Billy's wife (ex) now is still out making the money. Billy's not a snitch so he wouldn't say anything. It wasn't drugs that Billy got this time. It was a firearm that the dealer "left" behind at Billy's place. Billy found it while cleaning one day and when his ex got the chance, she had the law on Billy. They were waiting on him when he got home. Makes me mad that this guy set Billy up and his ex is having a good ol time.

I knew about everything too, but since the feds knew that I was loyal to Billy, they didn't believe me. They thought I was lying just to get him out of trouble.

Wow, that kind of stuff gets me so angry. It is so infair! But, life's not fair obviously. (hey, mom wasn't kidding when she said that!) :)

I Know This Topic Is Old, But I Just Read It. It Doesn't Make Sense That More Users Get Locked Up Than Dealers.
In One Of My Posts I Have Stated That I Hate Dealers- Never Meant To P. Anyone Off With It- Just Being Honest.
I Know How They Work, I Know What Strings They Pull. They Don't Give A Damn How They Are Destroying Lives. They Raise Their Children Witnessing Too Much.

I Love My Man To Death- He's A Recovering Addict. But If Out Ofe Some Reason He Would Consider Selling Drugs, I Would Leave Him. I Would Rather Make My Money Scrubbing Floors With A Toothbrush Than To Buy A Loaf Of Bread For My Kids To Eat From Money I Made Selling Drugs.
My Neighbor's Boyfriend's Mom Sells Her Son Drugs- Now What On Earth Is That?

My 'mother-in-law' Let Ernie Smoke A Joint With Her When He Was 4!
I've Not Always Been Drug-free, But I Would Never Let Drugs Appear Normal To My Kids. My Daughter Only Knows Part Of The Truth- I Had To Have A Talk With Her To Let Her Know It's Not Ok To Even Smoke A Cigarette, Drink A Beer, Smoke A Joint...
Maybe When She Gets Older, I Will Tell Her The Whole Truth. How It Is When You S**t On Yourself, You Loose Total Control Because You're Geeking For Your Next Fix? Just Becauseyou Were Curious.

I Am Not A Recovering Addict- I Am Recovered! And If I Knew Of Anyone Trying To Sell To One Of My Children, I Would End Up In Prison.

Sorry-

Check out this web site if you are for the War on the War Against drugs http://www.november.org/ I have found it so helpful. You can sign up for their email newsletters. November Coalition is all for STOPPING the War on Drugs and America. It is such a shame what is happening to our loved ones. I have been waiting over a year and have more than 2 to go (well, we have an appeal in 3 months...we'll see...FL has a point system guideline and they went over it by a year he was told ), when my fiance got caught with such a tiney amount. Now, I am not saying my baby is an angel, but sometimes the courts need to look at the whole picture - he's had a drug problem and lived the life of the streets for so long, I just only wish he was given the opportunity to go into rehab instead of prison. Well, I just hope that some of you can find some needed information from that web site! Bye for now!:D

there is no justice in this country. If there were then they would take the time out of their "busy" schedules to sentance each person on an individual basis rather than appointing state guidelines that affect everyone the same. The war on drugs is a way for the gov. to hold total control in their hands.And as far as the sentancing for a dealer being longer than that of a rapist or child molester, I will never understand or agree with it!!!!!!!!! An addict knocks on the door and asks the dealer for the goods, the "victom" makes a choice in this situation. He has total control to walk away at any point in time, when a woman israped she does not ask for it and she has no control nor choice same with a child. They are violated and couldnt stop it!! An addict keeps a dealer going just as a dealer keeps an addict high. So why should someone giving a person what they want be sentanced harsher than someone taking something from someone without permission? I'll tell you why, because the gov. will never be able to make money off a rapist, they cant tax rape. The rapist took nothing from their pocket and the dealer did.Every dollar he made from drugs the gov. couldnt tax. They get pissed when they dont get their share and ensure that you will pay for it! Now if a dealer has connects with the gov. they get their fare share and let that particular one keep on as is. They are not concerned with the lives of the people on an individual basis, the only life most politicians care about is their own. As long as they get their share anything goes. Our gov. is a dirty overpaid business. its so sad

As a recovered addict, why do you place blame on some one else? How can you hate the dealer, you chose what you did. And not all dealers sell to kids, same as alchohol, not all stores sell it to kids. it will make its way around though. Our youth knows how to obtain what they want. As humans we are faced every day with choices that will in some way impact our lives it is our job to make the right decision. An alcoholic can not blame the local bar for the destruction of his family because they kept selling him shots can he? No he has to assume responsibilty himself and make the choice to stay away from bars and such places. I agree selling dope is a bad thing to do, but do not forget some people do it to provide for their family and do NOT INVOLVE THE KIDS. Face it hun scrubbing toilets doesnt pay the rent and feed the kids. Sometimes dealing is not the first career choice rather the last resort, if you lose your job and bills are due, it will surely pay them.All of us didnt live pampered lives where high education was an option and money was no issue.And dont assume all dealers walk around smug and proud, some are doing all they no how to at that point in time.It is our job to stay drug free and it is also our job to install the importance of that into the minds of our children, they shouldnt be given such an open oppertunity to make such a bad choice. moniter the people they associate with and weed out the bad ones. you have more control over both yourself and your kids than a dealer could ever have

Speaking as a sober alcoholic, you're quite right: blame just doesn't help. It is not the fault of a brewery, distillery, liquor store, or bar that I can't tolerate alcohol. To the best of medical understanding, addicts of every variety are somehow "wired" to become so, and no one can change that. The only thing we can do is take care of ourselves when it becomes apparent that things have gotten out of control.

Personally, I'd like to see most or all legal restrictions removed on personal use of intoxicants of every variety. Put a hefty tax on them and use the revenue from the tax for treatment of those who become dependent on any substance. The end cost to society would undoubtedly be lower, our prison population drop steeply, and the "drug question" would be placed in its proper arena: that of individual responsibility.

Maybe that is why we have a drug problem in America. If people that have drug problems got the treatment they needed instead of being locked up maybe we wouldn't have such a problem. Most of the time they let these people out of prison they go right back to the life they know. They have a hard time getting a job cause of their record so they go back to doing what worked before. It's sad really that these so called politicians can't see the bigger picture.

Maybe that is why we have a drug problem in America. If people that have drug problems got the treatment they needed instead of being locked up maybe we wouldn't have such a problem. Most of the time they let these people out of prison they go right back to the life they know. They have a hard time getting a job cause of their record so they go back to doing what worked before. It's sad really that these so called politicians can't see the bigger picture. I watched the HBO special on Addiction before my sister was sentenced to 12 months at Marysville (she's still there and will remain there until her sentence is up. The first time she was sentenced, she was sent to Marysville and then to Franklin Pre Release but they refused to send her to FPR because the corrections dept decided that Marysville was more appropriate for her sentence: Felony 3 & 5: Solicitation and possession of drugs. My sister has been a crack addict for quite a few years and she is bipolar. At the sentencing I told the judge and prosecutor that drug addiction is a disease and not a crime that warrants a year in prison. My sister refused the drug classes at Franklin the first time she was there but now, she has gone through all of the programs that were available and has been attending bible classes when they are offered. My sister never stole or assualted anyone for drugs: She solicited for her drug habit. My sister offered to turn the dealer in but the prosecutor's office wasn't interested so, my sister is doing time for an addiction and the dealer is still out on the streets. It's so sad that this country, especially in Ohio, that unless you have money or know someone who can make deals with the lawyers you are basically screwed. My sister needs help for her drug habit and emotional problems. My family is here in Cincinnati but the APA wants to send my sister to Cleveland to a halfway house!!!!!! This system needs a huge overhaul: Especially in Ohio. These judges and prosecutors and even some defense attorneys need to wake up and realize that prison isn't always the right answer for drug addicts: I get so angry when I talk about the whole legal system and here I am at bedtime talking about this!!!!:mad:

Texas needs to STOP with it's insatiable appetite for building prisons. We have prisons EVERYWHERE. They need to build rehab centers and help people break the addiction. DRUGS IS ABOUT ADDICTION...ADDICTION BREEDS CRIME. They just dont get it.:mad:

This so called "war on drugs" is killing innocent people by the thousands . It is destroying families, creating violence,locking up millions of peaceful citizens and costing billions.




"As long as the U.S-style "war on drugs" continues, criminals will control what drugs are sold, how much they cost, how deadly those drugs are, and how young their customers will be.That was the message delivered by Jack Cole, a retired New Jersey police officer who spent 26 years making arrests in connection with "billions of dollars in cocaine and heroin" as well as other drugs.



We know that if we legalize drugs we can take the violence out of the equation," said Cole, who helped found Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.Drug legalization proposed at conference on drug use (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/02/05/drug-conference.html)The 10,000-member organization Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, among groups attending the conference, is made up of judges and police officers who want drugs legalized. "I decided this didn't work three years into my undercover work," said former police lieutenant Jack Cole, executive director of the organization. "I started working undercover in 1970. That was the beginning of the war on drugs. "Cops are so concerned about being labelled soft on drugs, soft on crime, and that next promotion, that we don't even talk to our peers about what we believe."


News 1130 (http://www.news1130.com/news/topstory/article.jsp?content=20080204_071308_4628) apparently decided to help Cole out a little with an extra phrase that I'm guessing he wouldn't have approved...Jack Cole, a retired police officer from the US, tells Global TV, it's time to wave the white flag, and decriminalize drugs. He says the more dangerous the drug, the more reason to legalize it. He says we can't control it as long as it's illegal.commentCounter (2689)


http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/