Posted on 09/17/2020 1:17:00 AM PDT by nickcarraway
James Caruso walked out of prison this summer after spending 18 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.
“I couldn’t wait to get here,” Caruso said overlooking the lake behind his childhood home in Sunrise. “Even being here now still seems unreal.”
NBC 6 Investigator Phil Prazan shows one man's release from prison after nearly two decades behind bars.
Police arrested Caruso in 2002 with 48 pills of hydrocodone, a prescription opioid. He was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison and given a $500,000 fine.
“It was a hard day,” Caruso said while fighting back tears.
NBC 6 Investigators brought you his story last year as his family was fighting to get him out.
At the time, Caruso’s family shared the many important moments he missed behind bars - from birthdays and weddings, to the death of his father.
I lost my dad when I was in there. That was a little hard but even through that, God brought me through, brought me home. You can’t get some of that stuff back.
His family was there to capture the day he walked out of prison on camera. They described it as a surreal moment.
“He walked out. He had on a collared shirt and jeans, normal clothes...I remember looking at him and wow, I almost forgot what he looked like being himself,” said his sister Adriana Friedman, adding it was an “emotional and wonderful” moment.
When Caruso entered the Florida Department of Corrections, the state had 15 and 25 year mandatory minimums for trafficking hydrocodone and oxycodone.
Since then, the Republican-led legislature lowered the minimum mandatory time to as low as three years for those two opioids. But those changes didn’t apply to people already in prison.
In 2018, voters approved Amendment 11, which changed the Florida constitution. One of the things it did was allow lawmakers to retroactively change criminal sentences if the guidelines were revised after a prisoner was convicted.
But the attempt last legislative session to apply sentencing changes to the current prison population died in committee.
Photo Courtesy: Kristina Young/ Forever Young Photography. “While I was incarcerated, I had guys that were sent to prison for the same charge as me and getting out before me,” Caruso said.
“I think there’s people caught in a lot of situations,” said Len Engel, Policy and Campaign Director for the Crime and Justice Institute.
The Crime and Justice Institute has written several reports for the Florida legislature, measuring the state prison population. They predict more than 640 people in the state are serving time they would not get today.
The estimated cost of housing these inmates is $14 million, according to the Florida Department of Corrections’ most recent annual report.
“That’s a heavy fiscal burden on taxpayers,” Engel said.
Caruso is among 19 people who have been released since the Broward State Attorney’s office started reviewing drug-trafficking cases involving prescription pills.
They have reviewed the cases of 70 people and reduced the sentences for 24.
The Broward Chief Assistant State Attorney Jeff Marcus tells NBC 6 they believed it was an issue of “fundamental fairness.”
In Miami-Dade County, the State Attorney’s Office has reviewed 49 cases. They’re looking to see if three people could be released.
Caruso also had the half-million dollar fine wiped clean by the Broward State’s Attorney Office.
“He was an addict. He needed something different. The consequence was not right,” Friedman said.
Caruso went to prison at age 34. He begins his new life at 52.
“I finally bumped into God when I was in prison. So I began to seek after him and trust him higher than I trusted myself,” Caruso said.
The only direction to me now is up. You know, it’s forward.
Caruso says he started working recently and is rebuilding his life with his family.
Congratulations, we have just passed another milestone on our inexorable march toward the legalization of drugs.
By the way, how many pills did Rush Limbaugh have?
Not to pick on Rush, it is rather to illustrate the hypocrisy of the system. If we want to have police reform, relieve them of waging mindless, destructive and hopeless drug war.
(1) His criminal history
(2) The pre-trial plea offer
(3) His trial transcript
(4) His prison conduct record
(5) And, a comprehensive 17 year legal summary of all the laws that applied to his case.
I am not anti-drug, by the way, just skeptical. These criminal sob stories ALWAYS omit relevant facts.
I think all drugs should be legalized, and the full societal cost - crime, medical, welfare - should be included in the price of the drugs.
In Florida, too. I bet Caruso had some prior convictions while Rush was a first time offender. Anybody else may have been charged with trafficking though. That’s a LOT of pills.
“Limbaugh obtained 2,000 pills over six months, prosecutors said.”
https://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/04/28/limbaugh.booked/
"Prison is for the Little People."
Anybody else may have been charged with trafficking though. That’s a LOT of pills.++
.................................................
A lot? Really? I’m prescribed 120 hydrocodone a month and they are 10Mg. tabs, not the puny 5Mg. ones.
120 pills a month explain a Lot of your postings.
Respectfully, 25 years in jail for any amount of pills is crazy, morleless 48 pills of ANY kind. Terrible laws.
That is not that many for chronic pain treatment for a month supply. 1 every 6 hours since it isn’t a delayed release drug. hydrocodone Isn’t that strong. It’s about 4-6 times stronger than codine. Opiate drug abusers would pass on it.
However believe what you want and feel free to disparage your fellow freeper for being in chronic pain. His pain might be mitigated somewhat but your ignorance isn’t.
120 pills a month explain a Lot of your postings.
...................................................
Can you be a bit more specific?
Which of my 4,350 threads and 47,506 replies have you found fault with? I’m not above or afraid of criticism.
that stuff makes me sick, but after surgery, they are wonderful.
I have neuropathies that put me on something that increases my tinnitus. fairly high dose.
But 4 hydrocodone’s a day, you gotta be hurting!
Thank you.
Your welcome. It was a rude comment.. if they walked a mile in a chronic pain suffers shoes they would better understand. Yet I wish it on no one.
The judge gave him 25 years and the perp started crying.
Judge says, whats the matter son?
Perp says, Judge, I cant do no 25 years!
Judge says, thats alright son, just do as much of it as you can.
James was a dealer.
He was and maybe still is a cancer on American society.
“If we want to have police reform, relieve them of waging mindless, destructive and hopeless drug war.”
Yep. That war is over and we lost it.
L
“That war is over and we lost it.”
Agreed. Legalize marijuana now, and then figure out the logistics of doing the rest. The problem will not subside until we ruin business for the cartels and gangs.
I am surprised you can even get that many at one, after having surgery I was given 7.5 and only 20....
“I finally bumped into God when I was in prison. So I began to seek after him and trust him higher than I trusted myself,” Caruso said.
My sister also found God in prison. God works in mysterious ways!
18 years in prison for pills. Perhaps that is reasonable. But then the 20 years for murdering somebody isn’t reasonable.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.