Obama commutes prison sentences of 214 Drug Offenders

[TheOldSchool]

No, there was a period (if it has indeed been closed, don’t know, haven’t kept up with it) where crack cocaine sentences handed out ran much longer than sentences for powder cocaine. And that was all about race. You know, sometimes it's not that it's always about race for some people. Sometimes it's that race has always had a great deal to do with american society, and some people can't handle the acknowledgement of that fact.

Like C65 up there.

 

[leftwinger]

Think any coincidence it "two-one-4"? Yeah, jew got dat right.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Breaking story: He just commuted the prison sentences of 214 drug offenders. Many were in prison for crack cocaine.

Obama commutes prison sentences of 214 drug offenders

Is there a racial demographic on the 214?

Not that I am aware of. The majority of inmates released were in there for crack cocaine. They could be any race of people. This is what I found next to the picture describing his visit to the Prison:

President Barack Obama speaks during a tour by Bureau of Prisons Director Charles Samuels, right, and correctional officer Ronald Warlick, Thursday, July 16, 2015, at the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Okla. As part of a week long focus on inequities in the criminal justice system, the president will meet separately Thursday with law enforcement officials and nonviolent drug offenders who are paying their debt to society at the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison for male offenders near Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

_____
My question is that if this was about releasing non-violent offenders why didn't he release people who were in prison for marijuana possession / sales? I'm not sure how one could define crack cocaine users as "non-violent" offenders. It's a very dangerous drug. Granted all drugs are dangerous but on a scale of 1-10 I would think crack cocaine would be way up there.

 

[TooTall]

No, there was a period (if it has indeed been closed, don’t know, haven’t kept up with it) where crack cocaine sentences handed out ran much longer than sentences for powder cocaine. And that was all about race. You know, sometimes it's not that it's always about race for some people. Sometimes it's that race has always had a great deal to do with american society, and some people can't handle the acknowledgement of that fact.

Ask one of my all time favorite singers, Whitney Houston, about crack cocaine. You can't do it because it killed her.

"Crack cocaine is one of the forms of cocaine base, which is produced from powder cocaine and is smoked. Crack is essentially powder cocaine mixed with water and baking soda which is dried into a solid mass. This mass is ‘cracked’ into rocks that are smoked.

Smoked cocaine, or crack cocaine, takes about 20 seconds to reach the brain, and its effects last for about 30 minutes. According to a study published in the US National Library of Medicine, there is a greater propensity for dependence when cocaine is smoked rather than snorted. The immediacy, duration, and magnitude of the effects of crack contribute to this fact."

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Non-violent drug offenses should not land you in jail.

Crack Cocaine kills, and those that sell it should be in jail for life.

I do not know if they should be sentenced to life but the question is should they have had their sentences commuted?

 

[StLucieBengal]

We need CJ reform on these matters. Instead of wasting his presidency on obamacare and boosting Islam and Iran.

Maybe he could have spent time changing these laws which he would have certainly gotten support by both sides.

It's the difference from being known as a uniter or as a divider.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

No, there was a period (if it has indeed been closed, don’t know, haven’t kept up with it) where crack cocaine sentences handed out ran much longer than sentences for powder cocaine. And that was all about race. You know, sometimes it's not that it's always about race for some people. Sometimes it's that race has always had a great deal to do with american society, and some people can't handle the acknowledgement of that fact.

Ask one of my all time favorite singers, Whitney Houston, about crack cocaine. You can't do it because it killed her.

"Crack cocaine is one of the forms of cocaine base, which is produced from powder cocaine and is smoked. Crack is essentially powder cocaine mixed with water and baking soda which is dried into a solid mass. This mass is ‘cracked’ into rocks that are smoked.

Smoked cocaine, or crack cocaine, takes about 20 seconds to reach the brain, and its effects last for about 30 minutes. According to a study published in the US National Library of Medicine, there is a greater propensity for dependence when cocaine is smoked rather than snorted. The immediacy, duration, and magnitude of the effects of crack contribute to this fact."

Doesn't that drug make a person violent? Or willing to become violent in order to keep their habit up?

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Good. It's time we end the "War on Drugs" altogether.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Good. It's time we end the "War on Drugs" altogether.

You're against law enforcement officers but in favor of crack addicts / dealers who they have taken off the streets - having their sentences commuted? What is wrong with this picture?

 

[Katzndogz]

obama is a drug addict himself. It only is logical that he would release other addicts and dealers. He's probably selling himself out of the rose garden. This is why the President of the Philippines does is so much better. No chance of them getting out.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Good. It's time we end the "War on Drugs" altogether.

You're against law enforcement officers but in favor of crack addicts / dealers who they have taken off the streets - having their sentences commuted? What is wrong with this picture?

I'm in favor of people making their own decisions as to what to do with their own bodies and not spending billions of dollars a year and eroding our Constitutional rights in order to stop them.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

No, there was a period (if it has indeed been closed, don’t know, haven’t kept up with it) where crack cocaine sentences handed out ran much longer than sentences for powder cocaine. And that was all about race. You know, sometimes it's not that it's always about race for some people. Sometimes it's that race has always had a great deal to do with american society, and some people can't handle the acknowledgement of that fact.

Or was it about violence? Have a look at this study:

Crack Cocaine Use and its Relationship with Violence and Hiv

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate crack cocaine use practices, risk behaviors associated with HIV infection among drug users, and their involvement with violence.

INTRODUCTION
HIV infections are frequent among drug users due to risky sexual behavior. It is generally accepted that crack cocaine use is related to increased levels of violence. Several reports point to an increase in violence from those involved in drug trafficking. Although HIV infections and risky sexual behavior among drug users have been quite well studied, there are few studies that evaluate violence as it relates to drugs, particularly crack.

METHODS
A total of 350 drug users attending drug abuse treatment clinics in São Paulo, Brazil were interviewed about their risky behaviors. Each patient had a serological HIV test done.

RESULTS
HIV prevalence was 6.6% (4.0 to 10.2). Violence was reported by 97% (94.7 to 99.1) of the subjects (including cases without personal involvement). Acts of violence such as verbal arguments, physical fights, threats, death threats, theft, and drug trafficking were significantly higher among crack users. A decrease in frequency of sexual intercourse was observed among users of injected drugs, though prostitution was observed as a means of obtaining drugs. A high number of crack cocaine users had a history of previous imprisonment, many for drug-related infractions.

DISCUSSION
The data presented are in accordance with other reports in the literature, and they show a correlation between drug use, imprisonment, violence, and drug trafficking.

 

[Dekster]

Non-violent drug offenses should not land you in jail.

When they are your 6th they should

No. No they shouldn't

They should and they do. So sucks, but you are on the wrong side of society on this one.

I disagree. As time goes on more and more states will decriminalize possession.

Even if the legalize pot, they are not legalizing other drugs.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Non-violent drug offenses should not land you in jail.

When they are your 6th they should

No. No they shouldn't

They should and they do. So sucks, but you are on the wrong side of society on this one.

I disagree. As time goes on more and more states will decriminalize possession.

Even if the legalize pot, they are not legalizing other drugs.

Not initially, but it's just a matter of time once you get the ball rolling. Also, they don't necessarily have to legalize other drugs, but they can decriminalize them.

 

[Dekster]

Good. It's time we end the "War on Drugs" altogether.

You're against law enforcement officers but in favor of crack addicts / dealers who they have taken off the streets - having their sentences commuted? What is wrong with this picture?

I'm in favor of people making their own decisions as to what to do with their own bodies and not spending billions of dollars a year and eroding our Constitutional rights in order to stop them.

The damage is often not confined to their own bodies and their own lives in some intellectual vacuum.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Good. It's time we end the "War on Drugs" altogether.

You're against law enforcement officers but in favor of crack addicts / dealers who they have taken off the streets - having their sentences commuted? What is wrong with this picture?

I'm in favor of people making their own decisions as to what to do with their own bodies and not spending billions of dollars a year and eroding our Constitutional rights in order to stop them.

Then let the judge sentence them to a Christian rehabilitation center like Teen Challenge. Who knows how many lives would be turned around only to later on become counselors at Teen Challenge or a prison ministry and help others suffering from addiction?

 

[Katzndogz]

Good. It's time we end the "War on Drugs" altogether.

You're against law enforcement officers but in favor of crack addicts / dealers who they have taken off the streets - having their sentences commuted? What is wrong with this picture?

I'm in favor of people making their own decisions as to what to do with their own bodies and not spending billions of dollars a year and eroding our Constitutional rights in order to stop them.

Then let the judge sentence them to a Christian rehabilitation center like Teen Challenge. Who knows how many lives would be turned around only to later on become counselors at Teen Challenge or a prison ministry and help others suffering from addiction?

You would put 40 year old men in teen challenge?

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Non-violent drug offenses should not land you in jail.

When they are your 6th they should

No. No they shouldn't

They should and they do. So sucks, but you are on the wrong side of society on this one.

I disagree. As time goes on more and more states will decriminalize possession.

Even if the legalize pot, they are not legalizing other drugs.

I am against legalization of marijuana. My suggestion is to send these people to a Christian rehabilitation program and let them have a chance to succeed in life. Teen Challenge has many success stories!

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Good. It's time we end the "War on Drugs" altogether.

You're against law enforcement officers but in favor of crack addicts / dealers who they have taken off the streets - having their sentences commuted? What is wrong with this picture?

I'm in favor of people making their own decisions as to what to do with their own bodies and not spending billions of dollars a year and eroding our Constitutional rights in order to stop them.

Then let the judge sentence them to a Christian rehabilitation center like Teen Challenge.

That sounds worse than being addicted to drugs.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

I am against legalization of marijuana.

You've already lost that battle.