recently the Justice Department propose something known as the smarter
Sentencing Act and that
act would basically called for lighter sentences for nonviolent drug offenders
and of course the purpose for this
is to stop putting people behind bars for a long period of time just because
they've been caught with possession
now this is something that the National Association assistant US attorneys is
not happy about
and %uh recently they send out a letter to
Eric Holder are complaining about this proposal
and the letter that was signed by the naaa USA president and assistant US
Attorney Robert guy got three
argues that the US should resist calls to reform its mandatory minimum laws
which require judges to sentence certain drug defendants to lengthy prison terms
even if the judge considers those sentences
excessive now in the letter guthrie insists
that the merits a mandatory minimums are abundantly clear insisting that their
reach
only to the most serious of crimes and target the most serious criminals
but of course we know that that is not the chair thing then just look for tough
sentences in the most serious of crimes
like that that just do that you need a mandatory minimum
serious crime that you get a judge to impose a serious sense
no one there there should not be mandatory minimums
for drug possession but oftentimes what we see is that a lot of people do get
locked away
for drug possession which doesn't make any sense at all anything if someone has
a drug problem
you as a judge I feel should be
more inclined to send them to a rehabilitation center or something like
that so they can get help
you brought him in prison for their non-violent crime and oftentimes they
come out as hardened criminals
now the reason why these mandatory minimums even started to begin with
was because in during the reagan administration of course he was very
tough on drugs
and he wanted to make sure that there were mandatory minimums for those who
were caught with drugs nonviolent drug offenders
and in the EU's our prison system
was so overcrowded that for-profit prison started popping up because they
realize that they can make money off this
right and you have no choice if your prison population
is through the roof and you have no where to house them the you're gonna
start following them
into the private prison system and private industry makes money off a bit
and all the sudden you feel this war on drugs
it's absolutely ridiculous let me let me let me the couple you get a couple
graphics here but yeah
this organization is a fraud I noticed they said
I can smell so supported by just 15 percent
nearly 650 federal prosecutor surveyed
the National Association assistant US attorneys their 5600 federal prosecutors
in the country
only thirteen hundred other right less than 25% fewer than 25 percent
are in that organization so 75 per se
you have US stories federal prosecutors are not part of that organization
which you would think everybody would just join but they don't because I
guarantee you they're crazy conservatives
and they're like just 15 percent supporters more sending ACK
other nearly 650 federal prosecutor surveyed I'm gonna get those 650 federal
prosecutors surveyed
which is exactly half not the number I love
federal prosecutors in the organization they're surveying their own
conservative prosecutors to begin with there's no way in the world but smart
prosecutors
are in favor a mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders
the other graphic you happier that's an amazing friggin graphic at the story a
wouldn't 220,000 people currently in federal prison today
man who on increase I think agent bowling crease
yep since 1980 there were 25,000 people in federal prison in nineteen eighty
and now we get 220,000 federal budget then again it goes back to what I was
saying earlier you know you have this president who wants to beat up on drugs
and so he starts pushing for mandatory sentences
tougher laws against those who are caught with possession and our prison
population
increases significantly and again that's what led to
you know private prisons in america it it all really started around 1984
I'm so that's obviously a really big issue and I love the fact that the
does Justice Department is now fighting back and they're proposing
legislation that actually make sense and I should note that this is a bipartisan
effort conservatives Edward roles are coming together and they're realizing
hey we're wasting way too much money
by criminalizing people who are caught with drugs let's do away with this
and I think that this is a good first step and we'll see what happens. got to
David slotnick former US attorney he opposes the isn't there a law opposes
mandatory meadows
he says that this letter that this organization said is a has an ulterior
motive to make federal prosecutors jobs easier
right that we're sorry federal prosecution stand for justice and
fairness as well as public safety
he's totally totally totally right mad
a and and and he has
he and a hundred other prosecutors have sent a letter in support the law
so this organization is having you believe that they're totally making up
that eighty-five percent of federal prosecutors
oppose this law that is absolute or shut out to read a more the story you know
that fortune