Changing these sentences is something that has needed to be done for a long time. To many people would get busted for drug crimes and end up in prison for the rest of their life. I feel this is to extreme and unneeded. Non-violent offenders especially do not deserve this. They more than likely never attempted to hurt anyone and just got caught with some illegal substance. The shorter sentencing is definitely the right step. People need to think about whether they want our system to either punish criminals for the sake of punishing, or correct them and make them part of the community again.
I agree with you, changing these sentences did needed to be done a long time ago. Non violent people should not be punish for other people crimes, that is not fair to them. Yes people do need to think about weather they want our system to either punish criminals. I think the system is confused about some things. Keya123
I think you are correct in saying that we need to lock up people who commit more serious crimes such as rape and or murder. The people who are convicted of drug crimes are overcrowding the prisons and are making it so there is less room for people who do commit more serious crimes to be locked up.
I understand. It's wrong to have those busted for a lil weed crime serve 20 years like they killed someone, who know why their doing it a lot of the times our cjs needs to look at it that way and try and find a way to get it off the street help those whose selling make a better sell of something more legal, more like a job or going to school, rehab it's take hard work courage and determination to work foward and to help those in need we'll never know whos in need of we don't approach them the right way LifeImagine789
The majority of federal prisons inmates are drug offenders, so a focus on reducing sentences should have been thought about a long time ago. Non- violent people sits in prison for no reason, they do not deserve that punishment. I feel as people go to prison for a long time over drugs and their are so many other crimes out here that is way more important then a drug case. Keya123
I agree with you. Most people that are locked up in federal prisons are inmates that are into drugs and that are drug trafficking. If we spent less time locking up people that are doing crimes that are little such as smoking weed. Why I define this act as "little" is because the people that are smoking week aren't doing anything wrong. They aren't murders or rapist. Save the real jail time for those people. bodybuilder456
I agree that non-violent criminals do not need to just sit there. Besides using drugs they really did not do anything. They should be sent to rehab if anything. People who need rehab just sit in jail. Those places were built for a reason. So, why do we not use them. dance456
I agree we should send more people are dealing with drugs and alcoholic problems to rehab not to jail. Jail is not going to help those people with addictions and there problems. ~savage465
There are definitely more serious crimes out there then drugs I completely agree with that. And we would have more room for people like that by reducing the number of drug offenders and it will definitely help the incarceration rate go down also. CSI 789
In my opinion if they set the people that did drugs and little crimes such as that. They should be let out of jail. They are taking up space in the jail. I have been doing research on this topic of how jails are having trouble locking up inmates. Yes, I agree if your going to break the law then you should be in jail. Only for a little bit of time though, not for your whole life like a serial killer would get. bodybuilder456
In my opinion, I think that they do need to lower the level of non-violent sentencing. Someone who is a non-violent drug user does not need to be in jail as long as a murderer. They need to be in there long enough to scare them or make them clean. They can also be sent to rehab. I do not however agree with lowering the sentence of a violent drug crime. Violence is not okay in any way shape or form. I also do not agree with lowering the sentencing on gun crimes. Again violence is not okay ever dance456
I agree that non-violent drug offenders should have shorter sentences. They should definitely be sent to a rehabilitation facility first off. Lowering the sentences on violent drug crimes is a completely different issue. That, I feel, may vary case by case.
I think this sentencing reform should have been done a long time ago. This reform could potentially reduce the overcrowding in prisons. Although i think these changes are good, it could possibly be a double edged sword. On one hand it could solve the overcrowding in prisons, but on the other hand it could cause more people to do more crimes with drugs because they wont get as server of a punishment. Who knows which will be the case only time will tell.
I agree, sentencing reform would benefit the overcrowding situation we are encountering. It may possibly encourage people to become low level drug offenders because of the light sentencing but on the other hand, the people getting lighter sentences are again not violent offenders and are not a serious risk to the community. Leilani456
After reading this article, I completely agree with it. Changing how criminals are sentenced is long overdue. Giving someone 10 years in prison for selling weed is insane. Why give that person 10 years when you can easily give them 1 or 2 and that will more than likely help that problem. And with the money the state would save by reducing the sentence, they could implement programs to help the dealers not do it anymore, and even help them get a job when they are set back into the real world again. Let the bigger crimes like rape and murder take the higher sentences. Don't ruin someone's life for a small, stupid mistake.
I agree that many of the sentences for drugs are insane. A person should not get put in prison for the majority of their life if not all of their life for selling drugs. Most of them just have an addiction and would never hurt anyone. I agree that they should help have programs for people with drug problems and it would allow room for more violent people in prison. dragons456
I agree also that the sentencing laws should have been changed a long time ago. I also agree that the sentences that have been given for nonviolent drug offenders were way to harsh and were doing a lot more damage then the person selling drugs was. Giving the drug dealer a job might be taking it a little too far, the people that abide by the law and still can't get a job should be the first people on the list to get a job. KLICK456
I think they should of reduced the mandatory minimums a long time ago. Many of the drug offender in prison are not violent people. They just had a problem that only affected them and they go bought and got a long sentence. A majority of those people wouldn't of ever went to prison if it wasn't getting caught with a drug. Reducing the sentences could also help reduce over crowding in prisons which is a big problem. It could get non-violent criminals out of prison and put some violent offenders in prison. dragons456
in my opinion the judicial system set the prison / jail sentence to high for simple petty crimes dealing and or using drugs. People who are in jail or prison that got convicted of that crime should be let out early with parole and limitations on good behavior.~savage456
I believe that many people who are drug offenders should be realsed because most of the time they are not violent offenders. Most of the time people who are selling drugs are just trying to make a living, which I know thats against the law. Sometimes, the people who sell drugs come from places where thats all they know, they were raised in that lifestyle. We could recede the space in the prisons, and save so much more money, and space for the people who actually need to be locked up. -dicaprio456
These changes that have been set for sentencing are a huge step in the right direction for the criminal justice system. People that commit any nonviolent crime should not sit in jail as long as they have. The people caught selling drugs should be rehabilitated and should learn their lesson through other ways of punishment, not spend the rest of their lives in prison.Hopefully the changes that were made do not make the risk of selling large amounts of drugs less intimidating. KLICK456
I agree with you. To me it is pointless to sit a person in a jail and starve them from their addiction. Because when they finally are released from prison they will want to feed their addiction more than they ever have. Forcefully making a person quit “cold turkey” is not the correct way in handling this. Taggswag456
Putting people in jail for extended amounts of time is unnecessary and re-sentencing should have been addressed some time ago. Criminals who have been charged with petty crimes such as drug possession being given abnormally long sentences is, to put it bluntly, a waste of money, time, and space. Our prisons and jails are already suffering from overpopulation and if space is wasted on non-violent criminals, then we are only adding to the problem. Our focus should be shifted to violent criminals and criminals who are a threat to society, for they are the ones who the community need protection from.
Our jail system is already struggling with space and costing extreme amounts of money. Cutting sentencing times for low level drug offenders is a great idea. These low levels usually have and had no intention of becoming violent offenders. Their crimes are not directly putting someones life in danger and therefore they are just taking up space in our jails. Reducing sentencing times would not allow make room and save us money but it would also give these non violent offenders a chance to rehabilitate, and become a part of the community again instead of wasting away in a penitentiary for a petty crime. Leilani456
the reducing of the mandatory minimums was needed a long time ago. Today we are all so worried about the overcrowding of jails, yet we lock up individuals for petty crimes that should not be resulting in jail time. Once we send someone to prison, it ruins someones reputation. We could use an alternative punishment for petty crime offenders. Fines, or Community Service could be substituted instead of jail time. Now, we would be making more money, or gaining something positive done for the community. With laws changing, the punishments need to change also. Broncos456
I thought the Community Service was a great alternative that you mentioned. Community service allows the volunteer the oppurtunity to use the negatives that goes with the punishment a chance to boost the city and be able to help the community. Prison does bring many responses to employers and will ruin your reputation. Drugs are bad, but there are worse crimes to our society. Palmdaddy456
With our prisons filling up something needs to change. As a general consensus, many people understand that the prison system is over crowded. Drug crimes are the the main reason for this. The amount of drug related crimes out do the amount of violent crimes. Drug crimes aren't always violent, because those who are in bondage to drugs will always need their "quick fix." These are done normally in their home and don't normally effect those around them an example of this is marijuana. I am not saying the hard drugs should be over looked, but all forms of substance abuse should be allowed a second chance. Rehabilitation if accepted by the user should be all that is needed and have follow ups. With law always changing so will the punishments. Violent crimes should be prosecuted and require extensive time based on the severity. I like how bronko456 mentioned community service as an alternative to the drug abuse. I think this would amount to more success in the community and allow some people a chance to feel accepted and motivated. These programs are to help those who want help a oppurtunity of restarting. Palmdaddy456
With reducing sentencing for drug offences and other nonviolent crimes this method will save the United States millions of dollars. To me offenders who get busted for illegal drug usage should be treated in a different way from a typical violent crime related criminal. Unless they are behind the wheel and driving they are at no harm to the rest of society. For example, why would one want to bust a nineteen year old kid for smoking marijuana? This offense will greatly affect the rest of their long life ahead of them. Honestly, I would lose sleep doing this to a kid and especially to one who I thought was a “good kid.” Also, with “creating some new mandatory minimum sentences” congress needs to think of more creative ways to punish these people. Rather than locking those up in a cell with other criminals make them complete rehab and hours on hours of community service. Taggwag456
Mr. Kelly, the author of the article, has hit the nail on the head so to speak in one of the major issues about our federal criminal justice policy in that instead of focusing on the sentencing of crimes we need to focus on the cause of the crimes, and the recidivism rate of the people who commit these crimes. Clearly there are very many reasons as to why a person may commit a crime, but if we don’t focus on helping them and trying to get them to see the error in their ways and error in their judgment then we cannot decrease the recidivism rate of criminals. It will only stay constant and we will always have a high percentage of people that commit crimes over and over again because they haven’t received the help needed to change. This doesn’t completely fall on the system more so than it does each individual and their want to change themselves, but the policy isn’t doing as much as it could to help change the people who do commit crimes. In order to clear our prisons and jails we need to help people make the proper choices, whether it be after they have committed a crime, or before, a lot of people just need more structure and more help than they are willing to admit. CSI 789
If these reforms work like the seem like they should they seem like a good thing to see the system. The main reason being that it mostly effects are on non-violent drug offenders which who is making up a lot of the imprisonment population who are in there for an obscured amount of time. Also throughout all of time judges should always have discretion with punishment because they are supposed to the experts in crime and the laws with their schooling and because of that they are certified to give the punishments so they should be able to give it how they please. If we are going to make the judges give specific punishment times than why is the schooling even needed anybody would be able to read a paper that says if so and so does this give them this much time. -Acerunner789
It's sad to hear so many is put in jail because they put themselves on the wrong path 9r just did something wrong. A lot of times it means it's a struggle even though it's hard it can get easier if we all help and throw in an extra hand helping ones go the extra mile. I also wanted to add about the judges work, a lot of times it may seem Unruly and unjustified sometimes they look to the police officers to choose their verdict and it's not fair because they may throw in extra unnecessary evifence to make it seem like someone actually did some totally unlawful don't get me wrong selling weed isn't right but it also isn't right to throw them away for eternity when there's a time to start over.LifeImagine789
It's really a shame how long it's taken to change these laws. We've known for so long that our jails are overcapacity but just now decide that is time to cut sentencing. Instead of locking up people who really deserve to be we have been locking up nonviolent drug offenders who I feel should be in rehab or some type of supervised program rather than sending them to jail and wasting our hard earned money. Jiggers789
Changing these sentences is something that has needed to be done for a long time. To many people would get busted for drug crimes and end up in prison for the rest of their life. I feel this is to extreme and unneeded. Non-violent offenders especially do not deserve this. They more than likely never attempted to hurt anyone and just got caught with some illegal substance. The shorter sentencing is definitely the right step. People need to think about whether they want our system to either punish criminals for the sake of punishing, or correct them and make them part of the community again.
ReplyDeleteEarthquake 456
I agree with you, changing these sentences did needed to be done a long time ago. Non violent people should not be punish for other people crimes, that is not fair to them. Yes people do need to think about weather they want our system to either punish criminals. I think the system is confused about some things. Keya123
DeleteI think you are correct in saying that we need to lock up people who commit more serious crimes such as rape and or murder. The people who are convicted of drug crimes are overcrowding the prisons and are making it so there is less room for people who do commit more serious crimes to be locked up.
DeleteGodfieri456
I understand. It's wrong to have those busted for a lil weed crime serve 20 years like they killed someone, who know why their doing it a lot of the times our cjs needs to look at it that way and try and find a way to get it off the street help those whose selling make a better sell of something more legal, more like a job or going to school, rehab it's take hard work courage and determination to work foward and to help those in need we'll never know whos in need of we don't approach them the right way LifeImagine789
DeleteThe majority of federal prisons inmates are drug offenders, so a focus on reducing sentences should have been thought about a long time ago. Non- violent people sits in prison for no reason, they do not deserve that punishment. I feel as people go to prison for a long time over drugs and their are so many other crimes out here that is way more important then a drug case. Keya123
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Most people that are locked up in federal prisons are inmates that are into drugs and that are drug trafficking. If we spent less time locking up people that are doing crimes that are little such as smoking weed. Why I define this act as "little" is because the people that are smoking week aren't doing anything wrong. They aren't murders or rapist. Save the real jail time for those people. bodybuilder456
DeleteI agree that non-violent criminals do not need to just sit there. Besides using drugs they really did not do anything. They should be sent to rehab if anything. People who need rehab just sit in jail. Those places were built for a reason. So, why do we not use them.
Deletedance456
I agree we should send more people are dealing with drugs and alcoholic problems to rehab not to jail. Jail is not going to help those people with addictions and there problems. ~savage465
DeleteThere are definitely more serious crimes out there then drugs I completely agree with that. And we would have more room for people like that by reducing the number of drug offenders and it will definitely help the incarceration rate go down also. CSI 789
DeleteIn my opinion if they set the people that did drugs and little crimes such as that. They should be let out of jail. They are taking up space in the jail. I have been doing research on this topic of how jails are having trouble locking up inmates. Yes, I agree if your going to break the law then you should be in jail. Only for a little bit of time though, not for your whole life like a serial killer would get. bodybuilder456
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think that they do need to lower the level of non-violent sentencing. Someone who is a non-violent drug user does not need to be in jail as long as a murderer. They need to be in there long enough to scare them or make them clean. They can also be sent to rehab. I do not however agree with lowering the sentence of a violent drug crime. Violence is not okay in any way shape or form. I also do not agree with lowering the sentencing on gun crimes. Again violence is not okay ever
ReplyDeletedance456
I agree that non-violent drug offenders should have shorter sentences. They should definitely be sent to a rehabilitation facility first off. Lowering the sentences on violent drug crimes is a completely different issue. That, I feel, may vary case by case.
DeleteEarthquake 456
I think this sentencing reform should have been done a long time ago. This reform could potentially reduce the overcrowding in prisons. Although i think these changes are good, it could possibly be a double edged sword. On one hand it could solve the overcrowding in prisons, but on the other hand it could cause more people to do more crimes with drugs because they wont get as server of a punishment. Who knows which will be the case only time will tell.
ReplyDeleteGodFieri456
I agree, sentencing reform would benefit the overcrowding situation we are encountering. It may possibly encourage people to become low level drug offenders because of the light sentencing but on the other hand, the people getting lighter sentences are again not violent offenders and are not a serious risk to the community.
DeleteLeilani456
After reading this article, I completely agree with it. Changing how criminals are sentenced is long overdue. Giving someone 10 years in prison for selling weed is insane. Why give that person 10 years when you can easily give them 1 or 2 and that will more than likely help that problem. And with the money the state would save by reducing the sentence, they could implement programs to help the dealers not do it anymore, and even help them get a job when they are set back into the real world again. Let the bigger crimes like rape and murder take the higher sentences. Don't ruin someone's life for a small, stupid mistake.
ReplyDelete- rose456
I agree that many of the sentences for drugs are insane. A person should not get put in prison for the majority of their life if not all of their life for selling drugs. Most of them just have an addiction and would never hurt anyone. I agree that they should help have programs for people with drug problems and it would allow room for more violent people in prison. dragons456
DeleteI agree also that the sentencing laws should have been changed a long time ago. I also agree that the sentences that have been given for nonviolent drug offenders were way to harsh and were doing a lot more damage then the person selling drugs was. Giving the drug dealer a job might be taking it a little too far, the people that abide by the law and still can't get a job should be the first people on the list to get a job.
DeleteKLICK456
I think they should of reduced the mandatory minimums a long time ago. Many of the drug offender in prison are not violent people. They just had a problem that only affected them and they go bought and got a long sentence. A majority of those people wouldn't of ever went to prison if it wasn't getting caught with a drug. Reducing the sentences could also help reduce over crowding in prisons which is a big problem. It could get non-violent criminals out of prison and put some violent offenders in prison. dragons456
ReplyDeletein my opinion the judicial system set the prison / jail sentence to high for simple petty crimes dealing and or using drugs. People who are in jail or prison that got convicted of that crime should be let out early with parole and limitations on good behavior.~savage456
ReplyDeleteI believe that many people who are drug offenders should be realsed because most of the time they are not violent offenders. Most of the time people who are selling drugs are just trying to make a living, which I know thats against the law. Sometimes, the people who sell drugs come from places where thats all they know, they were raised in that lifestyle. We could recede the space in the prisons, and save so much more money, and space for the people who actually need to be locked up. -dicaprio456
ReplyDeleteThese changes that have been set for sentencing are a huge step in the right direction for the criminal justice system. People that commit any nonviolent crime should not sit in jail as long as they have. The people caught selling drugs should be rehabilitated and should learn their lesson through other ways of punishment, not spend the rest of their lives in prison.Hopefully the changes that were made do not make the risk of selling large amounts of drugs less intimidating.
ReplyDeleteKLICK456
I agree with you. To me it is pointless to sit a person in a jail and starve them from their addiction. Because when they finally are released from prison they will want to feed their addiction more than they ever have. Forcefully making a person quit “cold turkey” is not the correct way in handling this. Taggswag456
DeletePutting people in jail for extended amounts of time is unnecessary and re-sentencing should have been addressed some time ago. Criminals who have been charged with petty crimes such as drug possession being given abnormally long sentences is, to put it bluntly, a waste of money, time, and space. Our prisons and jails are already suffering from overpopulation and if space is wasted on non-violent criminals, then we are only adding to the problem. Our focus should be shifted to violent criminals and criminals who are a threat to society, for they are the ones who the community need protection from.
ReplyDeleteOldHollywood456
Our jail system is already struggling with space and costing extreme amounts of money. Cutting sentencing times for low level drug offenders is a great idea. These low levels usually have and had no intention of becoming violent offenders. Their crimes are not directly putting someones life in danger and therefore they are just taking up space in our jails. Reducing sentencing times would not allow make room and save us money but it would also give these non violent offenders a chance to rehabilitate, and become a part of the community again instead of wasting away in a penitentiary for a petty crime.
ReplyDeleteLeilani456
the reducing of the mandatory minimums was needed a long time ago. Today we are all so worried about the overcrowding of jails, yet we lock up individuals for petty crimes that should not be resulting in jail time. Once we send someone to prison, it ruins someones reputation. We could use an alternative punishment for petty crime offenders. Fines, or Community Service could be substituted instead of jail time. Now, we would be making more money, or gaining something positive done for the community. With laws changing, the punishments need to change also. Broncos456
ReplyDeleteI thought the Community Service was a great alternative that you mentioned. Community service allows the volunteer the oppurtunity to use the negatives that goes with the punishment a chance to boost the city and be able to help the community.
DeletePrison does bring many responses to employers and will ruin your reputation. Drugs are bad, but there are worse crimes to our society.
Palmdaddy456
With our prisons filling up something needs to change. As a general consensus, many people understand that the prison system is over crowded. Drug crimes are the the main reason for this. The amount of drug related crimes out do the amount of violent crimes.
ReplyDeleteDrug crimes aren't always violent, because those who are in bondage to drugs will always need their "quick fix." These are done normally in their home and don't normally effect those around them an example of this is marijuana.
I am not saying the hard drugs should be over looked, but all forms of substance abuse should be allowed a second chance. Rehabilitation if accepted by the user should be all that is needed and have follow ups.
With law always changing so will the punishments.
Violent crimes should be prosecuted and require extensive time based on the severity.
I like how bronko456 mentioned community service as an alternative to the drug abuse. I think this would amount to more success in the community and allow some people a chance to feel accepted and motivated. These programs are to help those who want help a oppurtunity of restarting.
Palmdaddy456
With reducing sentencing for drug offences and other nonviolent crimes this method will save the United States millions of dollars. To me offenders who get busted for illegal drug usage should be treated in a different way from a typical violent crime related criminal. Unless they are behind the wheel and driving they are at no harm to the rest of society. For example, why would one want to bust a nineteen year old kid for smoking marijuana? This offense will greatly affect the rest of their long life ahead of them. Honestly, I would lose sleep doing this to a kid and especially to one who I thought was a “good kid.” Also, with “creating some new mandatory minimum sentences” congress needs to think of more creative ways to punish these people. Rather than locking those up in a cell with other criminals make them complete rehab and hours on hours of community service. Taggwag456
ReplyDeleteMr. Kelly, the author of the article, has hit the nail on the head so to speak in one of the major issues about our federal criminal justice policy in that instead of focusing on the sentencing of crimes we need to focus on the cause of the crimes, and the recidivism rate of the people who commit these crimes. Clearly there are very many reasons as to why a person may commit a crime, but if we don’t focus on helping them and trying to get them to see the error in their ways and error in their judgment then we cannot decrease the recidivism rate of criminals. It will only stay constant and we will always have a high percentage of people that commit crimes over and over again because they haven’t received the help needed to change. This doesn’t completely fall on the system more so than it does each individual and their want to change themselves, but the policy isn’t doing as much as it could to help change the people who do commit crimes. In order to clear our prisons and jails we need to help people make the proper choices, whether it be after they have committed a crime, or before, a lot of people just need more structure and more help than they are willing to admit. CSI 789
ReplyDeleteIf these reforms work like the seem like they should they seem like a good thing to see the system. The main reason being that it mostly effects are on non-violent drug offenders which who is making up a lot of the imprisonment population who are in there for an obscured amount of time. Also throughout all of time judges should always have discretion with punishment because they are supposed to the experts in crime and the laws with their schooling and because of that they are certified to give the punishments so they should be able to give it how they please. If we are going to make the judges give specific punishment times than why is the schooling even needed anybody would be able to read a paper that says if so and so does this give them this much time. -Acerunner789
ReplyDeleteIt's sad to hear so many is put in jail because they put themselves on the wrong path 9r just did something wrong. A lot of times it means it's a struggle even though it's hard it can get easier if we all help and throw in an extra hand helping ones go the extra mile. I also wanted to add about the judges work, a lot of times it may seem Unruly and unjustified sometimes they look to the police officers to choose their verdict and it's not fair because they may throw in extra unnecessary evifence to make it seem like someone actually did some totally unlawful don't get me wrong selling weed isn't right but it also isn't right to throw them away for eternity when there's a time to start over.LifeImagine789
ReplyDeleteIt's really a shame how long it's taken to change these laws. We've known for so long that our jails are overcapacity but just now decide that is time to cut sentencing. Instead of locking up people who really deserve to be we have been locking up nonviolent drug offenders who I feel should be in rehab or some type of supervised program rather than sending them to jail and wasting our hard earned money. Jiggers789
ReplyDeleteI can feel that the articles contained in this blog is so interesting. I also get a variety informasin, thanks. Cara Menyembuhkan Lambung Perih
ReplyDeleteAll I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could fix if you werent too busy looking for attention.
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