The war on drugs is a failure

When I read this story

Trey Radel, Busted On Cocaine Charge, Voted For Drug Testing Food Stamp Recipients 

The real outrage is the  draconian drug laws in this country rather than the  hypocrisy of this guy in Florida. Is this really the kind of offense that somebody should be locked up? I'm sure he will not see any jail time because of his connections but many others will for something similar. 

For the last  40 Years the strategy was to  lock up everyone involved in drugs and it has not worked. 

 

I don't know what the solution to the problem is. Maybe there isn't one.

 

 

 

You Tube weekend

New rules slashing crack cocaine sentences go into effect





Congress passed the Fair Sentencing Act in August 2010, changing the 100-to-1 disparity between minimum sentences for crack and powder cocaine to 18 to 1. The U.S. Sentencing Commission voted this summer to make the reduced crack penalties retroactive, which means more than 12,000 current inmates are eligible to request reduced sentences.


The war on drugs waged over the last 40 years has clearly been a failure. The US locks up millions of people every year for drug offenses but the poison is plentiful as ever. It's about time to look at drugs as a public health problem not a law enforcement issue. Portugal changed their laws and has seen positive results.


5 Years After: Portugal's Drug Decriminalization Policy Shows Positive Results
Street drug related deaths from overdoses drop and the rate of HIV cases crashes









A street kid gets arrested gonna do some time
He got out three years from now just to commit more crime
A businessman is caught with 24 kilos
He's out on bail and out of jail and that's the way it goes

Luzerne County prison

The prison board has declared a "state of emergency" because of the overcrowding at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility. It was prompted because prisons in other counties no longer have room for Luzerne County inmates. Another result of the so called war on drugs which now sees over 2 million people locked up every year in the US. In the 1970's the national prison population was about 200,000. The practical effect of the declaration is that warden will be able to award a no-bid contract to build a fence around the facility’s minimal-offenders unit.

The Commissioners are still looking at building a new lock-up that will cost at least $70-100 million that will have to be borrowed and Minority Commissioner Steve Urban thinks is too expensive. He wants to renovate the old juvenile detention building and use it as a women's prison to free up space at the main facility.

The prison Board also settled 2 lawsuits that resulted from the Hugo Selenski escape. After that fiasco Warden Gene Fischi and his Deputy Sam Hyder blamed it on underlings. The underlings objected to taking the blame and mouthed off to the press resulting in them getting fired. Call this a win for the 1st amendment that county taxpayers have to foot the bill because the top people wouldn't take responsibility for their actions. Maybe Fischi and Hyder have a future in the Bush Administration. And just to add to fun a guard has been granted medical leave because his dog suffered hearing damage.

The White House Cafe

I usually don't write about crime and punishment in the local area, especially in Wilkes-Barre, because sadly there is so much of it. I could probably do a blog just about the police blotter. The latest outrage is that there was another killing outside the White House Cafe on Hazel St. and the locals want it shut down.

CV: Five shootings in 27 months, two dead, eight wounded, one stabbed. This is not acceptable in any city,” said Abbott Street resident Mike Martin. “This presents an obvious clear and present danger to people who live in the neighborhood.”A man died and two other people were wounded after a fight outside the city tavern on Sunday. The bar is a nuisance and neighbors don’t want to live in constant fear anymore, Martin said.

I can't say that I blame them. If this was going on in my street I would want the place padlocked. It may happen this time.

But there is a political component to the situation. Luzerne County Judge Chester Muroski's family has owned the bar for decades. Muroski’s daughter and son-in-law now own the place but they live in Philadelphia. And the perception is the place has gotten a pass because of his involvement and local law enforcement and politician's don't want to cross him.

There are many other bars in the area that get more visits from the police but it's usually just beer muscles and our local constables can usually calm down the situation. The Woodlands has had many incidents over the last few years that involved shootings and stabbings but nobody is demanding that they be shut down. The fact that many political fundraisers are held there probably has nothing to do with it.

There are many accusations that the bar is a haven for drug dealers that are unproven. Why many of the patrons carry guns can be explained that they are American citizens just exercising their 2nd Amendment rights. If more people carried guns we would all be safer, don'cha tink?

I can't argue with Mark who says we should teach our children well.

The return of the Vodka swilling welfare Queen

Paris Hilton comes to mind. The Poster Girl For The Estate Tax



State Rep. Steven W. Cappelli, R-Williamsport, has sponsored legislation requiring anyone receiving cash assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to be tested for drug use.





I can't even begin to say why this a stupid idea. It's my opinion that so called war on drugs of the last 40 years has caused more harm than good. Two million people every year are locked up over drug charges and drugs are as available as ever. The tough nut to crack is to convince people not to take the poison in the first place. Our present District Attorney and soon to be Judge campaigned on a promise to lock up all the drug dealers 8 years ago and that's been a roaring success. But fear of the druggies always makes a good campaign issue. I don't know if legalizing everything is a good idea but another approach is warranted. Some of the reaction to this proposal over at GrassrootsPA is down right scary. Some of my small government and individual liberty Republican friends want to put welfare recipients into camps and test state legislators. The drug testing industry is big business, they lobby and make political contributions although I couldn't find anything in Capelli's reports that suggested he has taken any money from them.