Throwing Away the Key

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• Reader Comments (12)

  Page 1 of 1 pages

  ll

  Posted by lll on Apr 29, 2003 at 8:11 PM

  Muwakkil has hit upon a great untoold story.
  Somewhow we are unwilling to tackle multiple social problems in American public debate.
  The increase in prisoners and the high jailing rate combined with a lack of rehabilitation of prisoners and a stark racial bias, demonstrates a desparate need for revision of Amerca’s penal system.
  Yet, little do we hear about thoughtful reforms to a this very broken system.
  It seems we are only ready to address an aissue after it has reached an emergency threshold after which it cannot be tolerated any longer without it being a threat to society. 
  Rather, our goals and decision making ought to stem from more long term thinking, and as a result a gradual improvement in dealing with social problems ought to result.
  Yet as Muwakkil shows, we are perhhaps not ready to deal with the violent explosion in prisoners in america nor the causes that result in this high percentage of Americans in prison until the cirisis hits us in the face.

  Posted by Umer Ahmad on Apr 30, 2003 at 11:27 AM

  very interesting and very sad, especially for surplus population groups

  Posted by wallace nixon on Apr 30, 2003 at 4:01 PM

  Great article, however, over 20% of our federal prison population is comprised of hard core illegal immigrants. Many of these prisoners who have snuck across our southern borders have murdered, raped and maimed innocent Americans of all races and creeds. It seems to me that our government needs to secure our borders so these scoundrels DO NOT get into our country or our prisons. I am not anti immigrant, however Mr. Bush, Dashle and almost all of the politicians refuse to address this issue because they do not want to offend the new voting blocks. As an American, I am appalled and ashamed that our country’s security has been compromised in the name of political correctness and political gain. It is ironic that the poor, inner city blacks whom unfortunately contribute an inequitable amount of prisoners to our systems, do not recognize that illegal immigration has resulted in huge budget shortfalls in all the states that has resulted in money being diverted from educational and social programs to support the growing masses of illegals. Common sense dictates that when you add 8-16 million illegals to our systems, and that costs for healthcare, schools and other entitlements wil increase because of it, there will be less money to help the existing inner city poor and needy. Again, it is a shame and in my opinion must be stopped. l

  Posted by chet polwin on May 4, 2003 at 1:04 AM

  President Bush has got to do something about this. With Liberty and jusstice for all I don’t think so

  Posted by JANET BERGER on May 4, 2003 at 1:17 AM

  I would like to get some opinions:

  Is there an actual high rate of crime within the black population?

  Are a majority of incarcerated blacks innocent of criminal activity?

  Should convicted criminals be sent to jail?

  Posted by Nus on May 6, 2003 at 4:50 PM

  Aside from economic marginalization there are also political implications in states of the south includeing Fla. A convicted felon is stripped of rights including the ability to vote even after whatever penalty has been satisfied. If a person is sentenced in Florida (and other participateing southern states) after satisfying all the conditions of the court that person is still not a citizen. If however, a person is sentenced and fulfills the sentence requirements in another state and then moves to Florida they come close to being a citizen. At least they can vote.

  Posted by Mike Kudla on May 14, 2003 at 6:35 AM

  This is a very good article and an important issue.  Some people are doing things to combat the disparity in drug laws that have lead to the unjust incarceration rates among African American male.  A very courageous superior court judge in the state of Washington is championing this issue.  One very good argument for change (especially with impending state budget crisis) is that the cost of drug rehabilitation is far below that of incarceration.  This change however will require a change in America’s thinking about drug users; not as criminals but as people with a substance dependency.  States should be looking into this issue with great interest not only to provide a just legal system but because there needs to be innovative solutions to the current state budget shortfalls affecting us all.

  Posted by travis on May 14, 2003 at 6:49 PM

  Most jailed on drug charges are jailed for possession with intent to distribute or actual distribution.  Many, perhaps the majority in jail on drug charges are not drug users at all, but rather drug sellers.

  Posted by Nus on May 19, 2003 at 8:49 PM

  Where is your information coming from?  I disagree that most of the people incarcerated on drug charges have an intent to sell.  I could probably get some statistics from a reliable source to back up this oppinion if you would like to hear them.

  Posted by travis on May 22, 2003 at 7:20 PM

  Dear Salim,

  I read your article 0f 4/29 with great interest. While I am in sympathy with your concerns, I was puzzled by what you intended by your remark that the Department of Homeland Security had a “Teutonic Inflection”. I found this comment especially puzzling since it seemed unrelated to the rest of your article. I thought that you couldn’t be referring to Germany since that country has recently been described as the most pacifist country in Europe. I then thought of my German-American friends who   would agree with your concerns regarding racial bias. But none of my own speculations shed any light on your intent. So, what did you mean by the department/post with a Teutonic Inflection.

  Joseph Gardner

  Posted by Joseph Gardner on May 26, 2003 at 5:21 PM

  Travis,

  Before I give a couple of easy to find citations, let me note that a common practice in the court system is plea bargaining.  You can plea bargain a poss. w/ intent rap down to simple poss.  Would you agree that this is common?

  The Los Angeles Times, on March 21, 1999, published “The Casualties of War” an article decrying drug laws and black incarceration written by the Rev. Jesse Jackson (not known for his conservative views).

    Mr. Reverend Jackson averred “In the federal system, nearly 60% of all people behind bars are doing time for drug violations. In state and local jails, the figure is 22%. And more than a third of all of them are locked up for simple possession of an illicit drug”

  If “more than a third of them” (could that be 34%?) are locked up for simple possession, that means almost 2/3, a clear majority, are locked up for sale or for poss. w/ intent to sell.

  The alternative newspaper L.A. Weekly of December 20, 2002 publishes Duncan Campbell’s anti-enforcement screed, wherein he notes that in 2000, there were 646,042 simple possession arrests out of a total of 1,579,566 drugs arrests of all kinds.

  The figures cited by Mr. Campbell indicated that 40% of those arrested were arrested for possession.  60% were then arrested for more serious crimes of selling or possessing w/ intent to sell.

  While Mr. Campbell does not address incarceration, one has to accept that far more of the ‘simple possessors’ will have their charges PTI’ed out or receive probation or some other non-custodial sentence.

  These are among the places that helped form my fact based “opinion” .  Where did you get the erroneous information that helped you to form yours?

  Posted by Nus on May 28, 2003 at 7:33 PM

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