I know....
I have been so busy, that by the time i get a chance to check out headlines, its time for me to leave. So a thousand apologies to my loyal readers, i hope i didnt lose too many of you.
Lets get on to bidness.
(Full of HotAir does not condone the use of drugs. Tyrone Biggums is just a damn funny guy!)
I found this today on CNN:
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Buoyed by a Supreme Court ruling, some 19,500 federal inmates and their families, most of them black, are hoping the U.S. Sentencing Commission is ready to make its recent easing of crack cocaine punishment guidelines retroactive.
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This has been in the news recently. Apparently the stuffed suits in Washington are just realizing the disparities between sentencing a black man with crack-cocaine and any other race with just crack.
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If this is made retroactive approx 19,000 of currently jailed drug offenders may see their sentences drastically reduced.
Why?
I understand that there is a greater issue with blacks being sentenced unfairly when compared with those of other races, but lets be real. They still broke the law and if, as time goes by, someone says "hey..maybe we should just charge for cocaine period" that should not mean that we go and let convicted criminals (black, white, or other) back on the street.
The bottom line is they broke the law. Would they have reconsidered if they new the sentence would have been lighter? No. The problem isnt 15yrs vs. 10yrs. The problem is they sold drugs. They made a profit from poisoning another person.
If the law is adjusted from this point further, then newly convicted drug dealers come out on top. They dont have to serve as a sentence as someone convicted back in the 90's.
There is no need to make these prison sentences retroactive.
Here's a scenario:
One day you are driving down I-20. A cop catches you doing 70mph in a 65mph zone. You go to court, pay a fine, and pay increased insurance rates. 10years later, while driving that same stretch of road, you notice the speed limit has been increased to 70mph. Does that entitle you to a refund for previously paid fines? Hell no.
When you knowingly break the law, you know there is a penalty to pay. You have to be willing to suffer the consequences, whatever they may be.
...but i could be wrong.
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This whole about-face re: mandatory minimum sentences has less to do with fixing social inequalities than it does reducing the costs of housing prisoners. It's little more than a budget cut.
i agree with you Mr.Blogger. when you knowingly break the law..You have to be willing to suffer the consequences...
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