Mandatory Minimums are complete Bullshit

a few nights ago, i was watching 60 minutes and they were talking to this guy that, in his senior year in college, was arrested for selling 18 grand worth of coke....

it was his FIRST offense... first arrest, for ANYTHING... and guess what he got in the state of michigan? LIFE... all because of a shitty mandatory minimum. he DID end up getting out after 30 ish years because of a flaw in the evidence (during an appeal) and changing laws there in MI...

but the dude was saying that he saw all KINDS of violent offenders get out before him... including adult men that had raped little boys.

mandatory minimums suck... just think of making ONE MISTAKE.. like he did, and say you're 20 years old... you're live being OVER. being in prison until DEATH. doesnt that seem a bit harsh to anyone?

but yeah, mandatory minimums are everywhere...and they are NOT fair. someone that does something when they are 20, does NOT need to pay when they are 60.... esp. if they didnt kill someone. such bullshit.

so, if anyone cares, do something about it.

 

I remember reading about that law in Michigan and it was essentially anyone caught in possesion of I believe 400 grams or more of coke are sentenced to life, no questions asked. My numbers could be off, but the law was quite harsh.

There are MANY injustices written into the laws of American society.

That being said, if you going to commit a crime, understand what you're up against and be sure you're willing to pay the fine / do the time etc, if you get caught. I'm not saying that all minimums are fair, I'm just saying be aware of the trouble you can get into.

Reminds me of a couple of NYC homicide cops that I was talking to at a bar in NYC. I asked them about their most recent case. They said it involved a guy that murdered 15 people. I asked how long he would be in jail for. Their response - five or six years as the 15 people he killed were all parts of gangs etc. They laughed about it saying yeah he was an alright guy, essentially he was doing a public service by killing these gang memebers.

So this guy gets five years, yet some others get life for killing one person.

Its a fucked up system and people should know that, especially those who commit felonies. You never know what can happen to you if you get caught.

 

All too frequently it's all about being elected/reelected...

...Justice/Common Sense be Damned.

 

Only in America..
No offense, but I'm so glad I don't live there.

 

how much coke is worth 18 grand? btw if that guy killed gangsters that did bad things he did do a public service, but only if they actually did horrible things, not just some bullshit badass wanabe potsmokers though.

 

Lucky bastard.

Soon I will get out of this country.

 

oh yeah. you are defiantly right... if you're gonna commit the crime- be aware. but still... people make mistakes and are dumb at times. ive been there.... lots of people have. it still doesnt make it right (although i know you were essentially agreeing with me... i just thought id add that). hehe....

it does make me sad though how fucked up the laws and penalties in this country are.

 

Fuck em, danm crack heads

 

Plenty of space in Europe. You're more than welcome to come here, if you want to!

 

um, arent you supposed to have me blocked, crackhead?

 

but couldnt he have read the other threads to understand?

 

haha true. i was just hoping he did...

 

i figured it was prolly a ploy to see if he would respond

 

hehe... i just dont like it when people make threads about me. it makes me cranky.

 

I think mandatory minimums can be very good, we should have a mandatory minimum on murder for 2 life sentences without parole. There'd be no more murder

 

yeah, murder is different though. but STILL mandatory minimums are still too extreme when you think of it being mandatory...that doesnt take into consideration self defence and other.

 

What are you talking about? In some countries, a woman can be legally killed for so much as looking at a man other than her father, brother or husband. It's called an "Honour Killing". That beats the hell out of any prison sentence.

 

yeah, while the u.s. does have harsher drug penalties (and more drug crimes) then just about ALL of the industrial or post industrial countries...

there are worse penalties for things then in the u.s.

 

it all about the benjamins

 

Yes, well obviously I was being narrow-minded and only thinking about the Western part of the world. My bad.