Updates on my Mom and family

Recent news has come to my family on the passing of a new bill allowing non-violent federal inmates to only be sentenced to 65% of there total sentence before being allowed to go on parol.

My mother has been incarcerated now for almost 6 years. Her final sentence was 120 months in jail. which is 10 years, meaning in 6 months she will be released.

We are new preping her return in the spring by prepareing her a room and other such things. It will be weird to have her around again, most because i havn't seen her or visited her in about two years.

Either way this is a joyous occassion for my family and friends.

recent realization with MMDS

I have recently discovered exactly the benefits of the MMDS(mandatory minimum drug sentences) were!

First being that that the MMDs set up an equilibrium for the sentences set out by judges. So no longer could some judges be extra harsh on drugs while others were lenient!

Second being that the MMDS alerted the public to how dangerous drugs were and the severe the punishments would be.

If anything i thought the mmds was all detriment but there appears to be a few benefits how little they may be.

The amount of Info!

I began Researching this topic due to my mom's incarcerated in the fall of 2004, I was 14 and it definately threw me for a whirl.

Now that i am actrually researching the topic in length i understand exactly why she got the sentence she did, as well as understand how and when she will be realeased from prison.

The amount of articles and Federal Documentation onnthe execution of cases which involve drug offenders is overwhelming and at first glance difficult to understand.

I find that the more i research and the moutn i dwelve into this topic the more i can talk to my mother about and i guess find a "common understanding" of why she is where she is.

This blog was a bit more personal again but i will go into details at a further blog about the way sentencing is conducted.

How drugs have effected me.

Drugs have had a leading role in my life since before i was born.

Starting with my father. My father was a cocaine addict as well as many medical drugs and especially alcohol. He abused my mom and once caused her to miscarriage. probably one of the biggest tradgeties before i was born.

At the age of ten i once came into my house and experienced smoking weed. i had no idea it was illegal or understood the reprocutions of doing so. Later when i got older i decided to move away from my family so i would no longer have to experience that bullshit.

At the age of 14 my om was incarserated. to be honest i had no idea why. i later found out she was oding cocaine to work 20 hour days. doing and selling drugs. since then the relationship between me and my mom has never been the same...

so here i am. this is me. this is how drugs affect me

Awsome website

So i found an Awsome website today with a lot of good information on drug related cases and how the nation views them.

http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm

this is a website that monitors the money spent, The amount of people arrested, incarcerated, and even how many people transfered HIV!

This seemed a be a very interesting website as well it is a .org website makeing it perhaps legit!

Change of Policy

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/fdo99pr.htm

202/307-0784

FEDERAL DRUG LAW CHANGES
LED TO LONGER PRISON SENTENCES

WASHINGTON, D.C. – More than 38,200 people were referred to federal prosecutors for alleged drug offenses during 1999, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. About 84 percent of these suspects were subsequently charged in a U.S. district court.

Of the 38,288 suspects federal law enforcement agencies sent to U.S. attorneys, 31 percent were involved with marijuana, 28 percent cocaine powder, 15 percent crack cocaine, 15 percent methamphetamine, 7 percent opiates and 4 percent other drugs, the BJS report said.

Comparing 1984 and 1999, the number of drug defendants increased from 11,854 to 29,306. During this period drug prosecutions increased from 18 percent of the criminal caseload in 1984 to 32 percent in 1999.

Sixty-five percent of those charged with a drug offense during 1999 had been arrested previously–28 percent had five or more prior arrests.

Almost 90 percent of drug defendants charged were convicted. Most (95 percent) of those convicted pleaded guilty to at least one of the offenses charged. Ninety-one percent of those convicted were convicted of drug trafficking. Only 3 percent were convicted of simple possession of drugs.

Sixty-two percent of the convicted drug offenders were subject to a statutory minimum prison sentence–29 percent to 60 months or less, 30 percent to 61 to 120 months and 3 percent to 121 months or more, including life sentences.

Based on a survey of federal prison inmates, 16 percent of the incarcerated drug offenders reported being an importer, grower or manufacturer of illegal drugs, 25 percent said they had distributed drugs to street dealers.

Twenty-eight percent of the convicted drug defendants received a reduced sentence for providing substantial assistance to prosecutors. Additionally, 21 percent received a reduced sentence because they were identified as a first-time, non-violent drug offender.

Changes in federal statutes during the 1980s and 1990s have had a substantial effect on the processing of defendants convicted in federal courts – especially drug law offenders. All federal offenders sentenced to a prison term are now required to serve at least 87 percent of the sentence imposed, and many drug offenders are subject to minimum terms of imprisonment based on the type and quantity of the drug involved.

Between 1986 and 1999, prison terms imposed on drug offenders increased from an average of 62 months to 74 months. The average term drug offenders entering prison could expect to serve rose from an average 30 months to 66 months.

During 1999 the longest prison terms were imposed on drug offenders involved with crack cocaine (114 months), drug offenders who possessed firearms (133 months) and drug defendants with extensive prior records (125 months).

The report, "Federal Drug Offenders, 1999, with Trends 1984-99" (NCJ-187285), was written by BJS statistician John Scalia. Single copies may be obtained from the BJS clearinghouse number: 1-800-851-3420. Fax orders for mail delivery to 410/792-4358.

After the release date this report will be available at:

Drug charges: Increase in Inmates

Social Justice: The Severity of Drug Charges within the United states.


Upon further Research Into my Topic i found that in 1986, when they began to execute the Laws to Arrest and Imprison more people due to there infringements of drug use, that since this date the number of Inmates has gone way up.

between 1986 and 1996 the number of non-violent drug charged women went up by 421%, And insane amount imo.

It was Also Racially discriminative according to the "Mandatory Minimum Sentences" at Drugpolicy.org. The amount of African American Arrests went up 11% from the minimum Sentencing laws that were passed.

Also 80% of the prison inmates were due to drug related charges from 1985 to 1995.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/drugwar/mandatorymin/

I believe when this Law was passed in 1986 it radically effected the nation. The War on Drugs may only exist just because of the harsh sentences that are attributed to drug related charges.


I would like to say that this article was most deffinately one sided, I will try and search for one not so biased on my next blog.