Notice that the bulk of pardons given by the last few presidents are for drug related crimes.
I do.
The fact is that we have *way* too many people in jail. We are 5% of the world’s population and we’ve got 25% of the prison population.
And it’s not all drugs. South Carolina conducted two surveys in the last decade and found that at least one out of every eight incarcerated people were there because they had been held in contempt of court for not paying child support.
We also have a return of debtors’ prison. If you have a judgement against you and you can’t afford to pay it (could be a simple fine) you go to jail for contempt of court.
The drug war BS is just as bad. The mandatory minimums end up getting a small-time pot dealer more time than a rapist.
The system is totally broken. All we have for law enforcement is hammers.
What’s worse is that there is no rebuilding your life after a felony. Try joining the military or getting a decent job. Try getting help for college or student loans for trade school. Or a small business loan or buy a house.
Once you pay your debt to society, your debt should be paid.
And I’m not going to justify it with ‘just don’t break the law, dummy.’ The laws are insane. Look at how many people are being swept up for felony gun possession in NJ.
We are on a very, very wrong path for a ‘free’ nation.
“Notice that the bulk of pardons given by the last few presidents are for drug related crimes.”
In this case, we are talking about two pardons.