Judge Cassell, someone who the court entrusted to uphold the law, had the power of dealing fair justice taken away from him. Paul Cassell has also said, ““If he had been an aircraft hijacker, he would have gotten 24 years in prison. If he’s been a terrorist, he would have gotten 20 years in prison. If he was a child rapist, he would have gotten 11 years in prison. And now I’m supposed to give him a 55-year sentence? I mean, that’s just not right” (Pitts, Jesko, and Effron).
The case of Weldon Angelos, sadly, isn’t the first of its kind, nor is it the last either. There are plenty of cases just like this, for example a single mother of four with no criminal record was paid $100 by a complete stranger to mail a package which ended up containing …show more content…
Most American’s think we should be even tougher on crime, a study even showed that “71.5% of Americans think that sentences are not harsh enough” (Cassell 1023). Plenty of people believe that prisoners have good reason to be where they are, so in their minds, prisoners can stay in prison for a long time because then they are off the streets. Those people who have no sympathy for actual and suspected drug users and sellers should consider this fact, “The American legal system is the only system in the world that imposes life sentences to teenagers for small–time, non–violent drug offenses, and spends about $40 billion dollars a year locking up thousands of low–level offenders” (Snyder 85). So to those indifferent few out there with no more to care about than their pocketbook, consider that. Of course, it could be argued that if we just start letting people out they will go right back to a life of crime. After all, one of the main purposes for prison is to prevent or deter future crimes, so maybe mandatory minimums are worth the extra cost. However, Professor Alfred Blumstein has written, "Lock up a rapist, and there is one less rapist on the street. Lock up a drug dealer, and you've created an employment opportunity for someone else" (Cassell 1042). Mandatory minimum sentencing laws are clearly not a deterrent to drug crimes, and that makes perfect …show more content…
Under the mandatory minimum sentencing laws in the United States, far too many people are going to prison longer than they should, either because of their race or simply bad luck, and their families are pushed aside by the system without a second thought. The people this system puts away, although guilty by the law, are innocent. Addiction to drugs isn’t a crime, it’s simply a problem, and recognizably a problem that isn’t an easy one to fix. But if one thing is for sure, 55 years in prison for dealing marijuana (something now legal in four states) isn’t the answer to that problem. America now is the land of the incarcerated, home of the brave. There are other options out there, things like the Smarter Sentencing Act, which would reduce prison costs by $4 billion in the next ten years, and $7.8 billion in the ten years after that (Flatow). Experts know that this is a problem, but we need representatives to start acting. Look at who you vote for and where they stand on mandatory minimum sentencing, write letters to your congressmen, and get people to recognize that this is an important issue in America. Let’s get rid of prison overpopulation, let’s start rehabilitating drug users so they can go on to lead productive lives in the free world rather than behind bars, and let’s start putting the justice of judges and juries back into the courtroom
The case of Weldon Angelos, sadly, isn’t the first of its kind, nor is it the last either. There are plenty of cases just like this, for example a single mother of four with no criminal record was paid $100 by a complete stranger to mail a package which ended up containing …show more content…
Most American’s think we should be even tougher on crime, a study even showed that “71.5% of Americans think that sentences are not harsh enough” (Cassell 1023). Plenty of people believe that prisoners have good reason to be where they are, so in their minds, prisoners can stay in prison for a long time because then they are off the streets. Those people who have no sympathy for actual and suspected drug users and sellers should consider this fact, “The American legal system is the only system in the world that imposes life sentences to teenagers for small–time, non–violent drug offenses, and spends about $40 billion dollars a year locking up thousands of low–level offenders” (Snyder 85). So to those indifferent few out there with no more to care about than their pocketbook, consider that. Of course, it could be argued that if we just start letting people out they will go right back to a life of crime. After all, one of the main purposes for prison is to prevent or deter future crimes, so maybe mandatory minimums are worth the extra cost. However, Professor Alfred Blumstein has written, "Lock up a rapist, and there is one less rapist on the street. Lock up a drug dealer, and you've created an employment opportunity for someone else" (Cassell 1042). Mandatory minimum sentencing laws are clearly not a deterrent to drug crimes, and that makes perfect …show more content…
Under the mandatory minimum sentencing laws in the United States, far too many people are going to prison longer than they should, either because of their race or simply bad luck, and their families are pushed aside by the system without a second thought. The people this system puts away, although guilty by the law, are innocent. Addiction to drugs isn’t a crime, it’s simply a problem, and recognizably a problem that isn’t an easy one to fix. But if one thing is for sure, 55 years in prison for dealing marijuana (something now legal in four states) isn’t the answer to that problem. America now is the land of the incarcerated, home of the brave. There are other options out there, things like the Smarter Sentencing Act, which would reduce prison costs by $4 billion in the next ten years, and $7.8 billion in the ten years after that (Flatow). Experts know that this is a problem, but we need representatives to start acting. Look at who you vote for and where they stand on mandatory minimum sentencing, write letters to your congressmen, and get people to recognize that this is an important issue in America. Let’s get rid of prison overpopulation, let’s start rehabilitating drug users so they can go on to lead productive lives in the free world rather than behind bars, and let’s start putting the justice of judges and juries back into the courtroom