SPLIT: Jails, Decriminalization and, of all things, Communism

**Slam_Bradley** · 04-23-2012, 03:05 PM

In 1998 there were 1 million non-violent offenders in US prisons. The number definitely has not gone down.

http://www.justicepolicy.org/images/...isoners_AC.pdf

**Cavemold** · 04-23-2012, 03:06 PM

Yea , marjuana will be legalized soon .

**Brandon McKinnis** · 04-23-2012, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by Cavemold

It's a tax burden but letting loose rapist and murders is not worth it.... That's how neighborhoods start to crumble.

Most people in jail aren't rapists or murderers.

**dupont2005** · 04-23-2012, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by needler420

I can see weed being legal but I can't ever see heroin or crack or cocaine ever becoming decriminalized or legal.

Why not? They were legal before. Things were fine. They are legal in a handful of other nations and things are fine. I believe in cases where the drugs are legal, addiction is less frequent and drug related violence is a statistical anomaly, and of course less of the population is in prison.

**dupont2005** · 04-23-2012, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by Daesim

The majority of white crime is committed by the poorest and least educated among them.

I don't believe that. I think the poor are more likely to be caught, prosecuted, convicted, and sent to prison. Our justice system favors the rich no matter their race. Just look at Michael Jackson and R. Kelly. Look at how much time someone who smash and grabs something in a store display gets compared to someone who embezzle from the same businesses. Look at how the Vatican manages to keep their priests out of prison. Wealthy white people in my opinion are exactly as likely to lie, cheat, and steal. They are exactly as likely to rape, murder, and beat. They just have lobbyists that will twist the law to fit their behavior, and high priced lawyers for when that isn't an option. Poor people usually end up striking a plea under advice of their free legal representation, even the innocent ones.

**mikekerrIII** · 04-23-2012, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by Dreadstar

Well, you should have seen me when I was 17...

I joined the military at 17 during Vietnam war, wisdom was definitely not my forte'

**SUPERECWFAN1** · 04-23-2012, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by Rasputin9977

It's not denial. My parents were immigrants. My dad worked as a cook for Sizzler for 30 years and a buser at a casino for 10. My mom a maid for 30 plus years. Not high paying jobs so we lives in poverty neighborhoods. they now own a house in a middle class neighborhood with the same jobs. They simply chose to make a better life over living in poverty.

Originally Posted by Jeff Brady

That's nice. A lot of people can make those choices and still be stuck in poverty, because shit happens. Medical crises happen. Unemployment happens.

EXACTLY....

In fact as much as I'm not a big Morgan Spurlock fan.... he had the 30 days show. In one episode he spent 30 days with his now wife living as a lower class family. To see how true it is that people are struggling to make ends meet.

Spurlock got a job working construction during the day and a janitor I believe at night. He was working near 14-18 hours a day with 2 jobs. His girlfriend worked and a job and soon enough they realized how hard it was to pay apartment rent , pay bills and then once Spurlock got hurt on the job , went to the ER and had to pay that bill. As he said , one month had him a thousand dollars in the red due to bills .

**mikekerrIII** · 04-23-2012, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by Rasputin9977

what would be some more productive alternatives?

Let the folks in for simple possession of drugs out, stop jailing or arresting people for marijuana.

Legalization will take much of the profits and violence out of the drug trade and lower the cost, so the drug driven crime drops radically.

IAW declare victory in the war on drugs and run like hell just like we did in the other war that started about the same time

**mikekerrIII** · 04-23-2012, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by Cavemold

It's a tax burden but letting loose rapist and murders is not worth it.... That's how neighborhoods start to crumble.

Are they are large portion of the prison population?

**mikekerrIII** · 04-23-2012, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by dupont2005

Why not? They were legal before. Things were fine. They are legal in a handful of other nations and things are fine. I believe in cases where the drugs are legal, addiction is less frequent and drug related violence is a statistical anomaly, and of course less of the population is in prison.

People forget that you cold get heroin and cocaine in the mail legally until the thirties, and also forget that the move to make drugs illegal came largely from the people who made a living off prohibition, the previously lost drug war. Sometines the solution is worse than the problem

**Moose100** · 04-23-2012, 03:44 PM

Well exsqueeze me I wasnt around during the thirties..

Originally Posted by mikekerrIII

People forget that you cold get heroin and cocaine in the mail legally until the thirties, and also forget that the move to make drugs illegal came largely from the people who made a living off prohibition, the previously lost drug war. Sometines the solution is worse than the problem

**Rasputin9977** · 04-23-2012, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by mikekerrIII

People forget that you cold get heroin and cocaine in the mail legally until the thirties, and also forget that the move to make drugs illegal came largely from the people who made a living off prohibition, the previously lost drug war. Sometines the solution is worse than the problem

If thats true then why weren't the other drugs legalize with alcohol?

**mikekerrIII** · 04-23-2012, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by Rasputin9977

If thats true then why weren't the other drugs legalize with alcohol?

They were legal until booze became legal again, the guys who made a living off prohibition found a new enemy to fight even though they ha to spend a few years and launch one of the most dishonest propaganda campaigns in domestic US history to do so.

Ever see the movie "Reefer Madess"

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 made possession or transfer of cannabis illegal throughout the United States

We are still suffering from the social after-effects of prohibition, I wonder how long the same effects will last for drugs?

**DonC** · 04-23-2012, 04:38 PM

Originally Posted by Rasputin9977

If thats true then why weren't the other drugs legalize with alcohol?

In the early 1900s people started realizing that opiates were really bad for you. In 1914 the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act severely limited the distribution of cocaine. You now needed a legitimate medical reason for using cocaine. And we're not talking California Medicinal Marijuana "legitimate," here. We're talking actual reasons. So casual usage dropped to just the addicts.