RECENTLY, BARACK OBAMA COMMUTED
THE SENTENCES OF FORTY-SIX NONVIOLENT FEDERAL DRUG
OFFENDERS, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY WERE FREED FROM THEIR SENTENCES
IN PRISON.
FEIST RECENTLY WROTE ABOUT A VERY LITTLE-KNOWN REFORM
THAT HAPPENED WITHIN OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY DOES THE
FREE THOUSANDS OF NONVIOLENT DRUG OFFENDERS WITHIN THE
FEDERAL SYSTEM.
IT IS A NEW REFORM EFFORT TO AS DRUGS -2.
CURRENTLY, THERE ARE MORE THAN 95,000 FEDERAL PRISONERS SERVING
YEARS FOR DRUG CRIMES.
ALMOST 2000 OR SERVING LIFE SENTENCES
WITHOUT PAROLE.
THE LESSER-KNOWN POLICY ADVICE IS WRITING ABOUT
WAS ENACTED BACK IN 2014.
IT WILL AFFECT 1000 TIMES THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE AS OBAMA'S
COMMUTATIONS.
THESE GUIDELINES CAN PRODUCE THE SENTENCES OF AS
MANY AS 46,000 PEOPLE.
SO BASICALLY, WHAT THEY ARE GOING
TO DO IS DO AWAY WITH MANDATORY MINIMUMS, WHICH A LOT OF DRUG
OFFENDERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
ARE DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW.
THAT TAKES THE DISCUSSION AWAY FROM
THE JUDGE.
A JUDGE MAY DEEM SOMEBODY GUILTY AND MIGHT WANT
TO GIVE THEM A LESSER SENTENCE, BUT THEY ARE UNABLE TO DO SO
BECAUSE OF THE MANDATORY
MINIMUM.
IN ONE CASE, THERE WAS A TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD CAUGHT
SELLING CRACK, AND HE GOT A LIFE
SENTENCE FOR SELLING CRACK.
THE JUDGE TOLD HIM THAT HE DID NOT
AGREE WITH THE SENTENCE, BUT THAT IT WAS THE MANDATORY
MINIMUM.
YOU ARE SCREWED.
THAT IS HOW OUR SYSTEM WORKS RIGHT
NOW, AND HOPEFULLY THIS WILL FORM IS SUPPOSED TO MITIGATE THE
CONSEQUENCES OF THAT.
WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I GREW UP IN A SUBURB, WHERE WE NEVER
HAD ISSUES LIKE THIS.
SO, IF YOU TOLD ME A LIFE SENTENCE FOR A
CRACK DEALER, I WOULD THINK, OH MY GOD, A CRACK DEALER IS SO
DANGEROUS, HE IS INFECTING THE KIDS OF A NEW GENERATION WITH
POISON, AND SO OF COURSE, A LIFE SENTENCE.
NOW I AM AN
ADULT, SO IT IS TIME TO PUT
CHILDISH OPINIONS AWAY.
IN SOME PLACES OF THE COUNTRY YOU HAVE
INDUSTRY THAT IS STRUCTURED AROUND SELLING DRUGS.
THERE IS
DEMAND FOR THE DRUGS, NOT JUST BY THE PEOPLE IN, SAY, THE
INNER-CITY, BUT PEOPLE WHO DRIVE IN TO GET THE DRUGS FROM THE
SUBURBS AND OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY.
THERE IS AN ENORMOUS
DEMAND FOR IT.
WHEN SOMEBODY RISES UP TO SERVICE THAT DEMAND,
AS HAS HAPPENED IN ANY CASE WHAT YOU DO THIS, WHETHER IT IS
PROHIBITION OR OTHERWISE, THAT IS TOTAL NATURAL.
NOBODY EVER
TOLD THEM THAT THEY CAN HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY, THEY DON'T
KNOW THAT.
ALL THEY KNOW IS, I KNEW THIS GUY FROM AROUND THE
WAY AND I GOT FROM THE CORNER, AND THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE
RICH AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS SUFFERING, SO I'M GONNA PULL
MYSELF UP, GET INVOLVED IN THE LOCAL INDUSTRY, AND HE DOES IT
AT WHATEVER YOUNG AGE HE DOES, AND BOOM, LIFE SENTENCE.
BUT HE DIDN'T
CREATE THE PERVERTED SYSTEM, HE DIDN'T CREATE THE LACK OF
OPPORTUNITY IN A SITUATION.
DOES
THAT EXCUSE HIM?
NO.
DOES THAT MEAN HE SHOULD GET A LIFE
SENTENCE?
THAT'S A DIFFERENT QUESTION ISN'T IT?
HE ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT GET A LIFE SENTENCE.
THIS REFORM
WOULD ACTUALLY HELP PEOPLE THAT WOULD – THIS WOULD HELP PEOPLE
THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN A MANDATORY MINIMUM.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN
A MINIMUM SENTENCE, YOU ARE STILL SCREWED.
BUT THIS MIGHT
HELP PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN RIDICULOUS SENTENCES BY JUDGES,
THE REFORM IS SUPPOSED TO HELP THEM OUT AND GIVE THEM A LESSER
SENTENCE, OR COMMUTE THE SENTENCE ALTOGETHER.
IT IS
RIDICULOUS THAT IT DOES NOT HELP
MANDATORY MINIMUMS.
PEOPLE CRAP ON OBAMA, SAYING THAT HIS COMMUTATIONS ARE A
RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER.
HE ALMOST NEVER ISSUES PARDONS.
HE HAS
HISTORICALLY NOT BEEN VERY
MERCIFUL.
BUT, GIVE CREDIT, THIS IS IMPORTANT AND IT AFFECTS A
LOT OF PEOPLE.
YOU HAVE TO
RECOGNIZE THAT HE DID THIS WELL.