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Washington (CNN) -- The Justice Department will no longer pursue mandatory minimum sentences for certain low-level, nonviolent drug offenders, Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday, noting the nation is "coldly efficient in jailing criminals," but that it "cannot prosecute or incarcerate" its way to becoming safer.

"Too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no truly good law enforcement reason," Holder told the American Bar Association's House of Delegates in San Francisco.

He questioned some assumptions about the criminal justice system's approach to the "war on drugs," saying that excessive incarceration has been an "ineffective and unsustainable" part of it...

...Holder invoked President Barack Obama, saying the two had been talking about the issues and agreed to try to "strike a balance" that clears the way for a "pragmatic" and "commonsense" solutions to enhance public safety and the "public good."...

...They now "will be charged with offenses for which the accompanying sentences are better suited to their individual conduct, rather than excessive prison terms more appropriate for violent criminals or drug kingpins."

The changes are effective immediately...

93henfan wrote:What kind of sentences will they be giving people who allowed weapons by the lot to walk across the border to Mexican drug cartels and be used to kill Americans?

How about people who spy on American citizens and harass their opponents via the IRS.

How about people who let their countrymen die overseas to a terrorist attack without authorizing help and then cover it up?

∞∞∞ wrote:Credit where credit is due, Obama and Holder are making the right decision here:

Washington (CNN) -- The Justice Department will no longer pursue mandatory minimum sentences for certain low-level, nonviolent drug offenders, Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday, noting the nation is "coldly efficient in jailing criminals," but that it "cannot prosecute or incarcerate" its way to becoming safer.

"Too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no truly good law enforcement reason," Holder told the American Bar Association's House of Delegates in San Francisco.

He questioned some assumptions about the criminal justice system's approach to the "war on drugs," saying that excessive incarceration has been an "ineffective and unsustainable" part of it...

...Holder invoked President Barack Obama, saying the two had been talking about the issues and agreed to try to "strike a balance" that clears the way for a "pragmatic" and "commonsense" solutions to enhance public safety and the "public good."...

...They now "will be charged with offenses for which the accompanying sentences are better suited to their individual conduct, rather than excessive prison terms more appropriate for violent criminals or drug kingpins."

The changes are effective immediately...

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/12/politics/ ... -minimums/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ALPHAGRIZ1 wrote:Basically its obama and holders way of giving back to the black community.

Thanks for getting me elected, here are some shorter jail sentences.

Chizzang wrote:

ALPHAGRIZ1 wrote:Basically its obama and holders way of giving back to the black community.

Thanks for getting me elected, here are some shorter jail sentences.

Not necessarily / although I appreciate the observation
A huge percentage of low grade Marijuana busts are white folks



Crack and Meth busts are still on the hot-seat

ASUG8 wrote:So far, this is the only thing Holder and agree on. Prisons are packed over capacity with people who have minor possession or paraphenalia charges or "three strikes" violations. If it's meth or coke or high quantities of anything resembling distribution that's one thing, but busting a pothead for having a small amount really isn't deserving of a long sentence. I'd argue alcohol drives a lot more violent behavior than most of the lower level drugs - the only place a pothead will rob is a Taco Bell, and he'll probably do it very nicely and they won't take any money.

ALPHAGRIZ1 wrote:

ASUG8 wrote:So far, this is the only thing Holder and agree on. Prisons are packed over capacity with people who have minor possession or paraphenalia charges or "three strikes" violations. If it's meth or coke or high quantities of anything resembling distribution that's one thing, but busting a pothead for having a small amount really isn't deserving of a long sentence. I'd argue alcohol drives a lot more violent behavior than most of the lower level drugs - the only place a pothead will rob is a Taco Bell, and he'll probably do it very nicely and they won't take any money.

I like the way you think, so going by your line of thinking a hand job or blow job should be a slap on the wrist instead of going to jail for solicitation of sex. Its not even really sex anyway............

Got it, lets dumb all the laws down so people can stay out of jail.

ASUG8 wrote:

ALPHAGRIZ1 wrote:

I like the way you think, so going by your line of thinking a hand job or blow job should be a slap on the wrist instead of going to jail for solicitation of sex. Its not even really sex anyway............

Got it, lets dumb all the laws down so people can stay out of jail.

I guess we could spend more money building more prisons. The War on Drugs has been a failure, and IMHO it's time we took a different tack. Ganja is going to be around with or without laws, so why not regulate it and tax it like you do alcohol or tobacco? Guaranteed quality, no localized price gouging, the government gets a new revenue stream, etc.

I'd rather see the Feds busting up meth labs or intercepting coke/herion shipments than locking up some college kid with half a nickel bag. Not really dumbing down, just prioritizing criminal justice assets.

ASUG8 wrote: Ganja is going to be around with or without laws, so why not regulate it and tax it like you do alcohol or tobacco? Guaranteed quality, no localized price gouging, the government gets a new revenue stream, etc.

ALPHAGRIZ1 wrote:Hippy lib runeth thy mouth.......

Why stop at pot? Seriously lets take all the money out of the illegal drug trade. Make everything legal, better yet if you really want to get rid of the drug problem, let the government run it, they can take it into the ground like the US post office or GM?

Tax all the drugs then they can spend all that money too.

Chizzang wrote:

ALPHAGRIZ1 wrote:Hippy lib runeth thy mouth.......

Why stop at pot? Seriously lets take all the money out of the illegal drug trade. Make everything legal, better yet if you really want to get rid of the drug problem, let the government run it, they can take it into the ground like the US post office or GM?

Tax all the drugs then they can spend all that money too.

That's the best you can come up with as your argument against legalizing marijuana..?

wow...

Cluck U wrote:

ASUG8 wrote: Ganja is going to be around with or without laws, so why not regulate it and tax it like you do alcohol or tobacco? Guaranteed quality, no localized price gouging, the government gets a new revenue stream, etc.

Guaranteed quality?

You do know that Bud Light, Schlitz Malt Liquor, and MGD are allowed to be sold in the U.S., don't you?

CID1990 wrote:I'm all for this.

I expect the black community to be the new upper class within a year or two now that they won't be kept down by Whitey's drug laws anymore

CID1990 wrote:I'm all for this.

I expect the black community to be the new upper class within a year or two now that they won't be kept down by Whitey's drug laws anymore

CID1990 wrote:I'm all for this.

I expect the black community to be the new upper class within a year or two now that they won't be kept down by Whitey's drug laws anymore

mrklean wrote:

CID1990 wrote:I'm all for this.

I expect the black community to be the new upper class within a year or two now that they won't be kept down by Whitey's drug laws anymore

Who do you think is shipping this shit into the country smart-azz

ALPHAGRIZ1 wrote:

ASUG8 wrote:So far, this is the only thing Holder and agree on. Prisons are packed over capacity with people who have minor possession or paraphenalia charges or "three strikes" violations. If it's meth or coke or high quantities of anything resembling distribution that's one thing, but busting a pothead for having a small amount really isn't deserving of a long sentence. I'd argue alcohol drives a lot more violent behavior than most of the lower level drugs - the only place a pothead will rob is a Taco Bell, and he'll probably do it very nicely and they won't take any money.

I like the way you think, so going by your line of thinking a hand job or blow job should be a slap on the wrist instead of going to jail for solicitation of sex. Its not even really sex anyway............

Got it, lets dumb all the laws down so people can stay out of jail.

mrklean wrote:

CID1990 wrote:I'm all for this.

I expect the black community to be the new upper class within a year or two now that they won't be kept down by Whitey's drug laws anymore

Who do you think is shipping this shit into the country smart-azz