Injustice through mandatory sentencing.

[crestofwaves]

I had no idea that the law was this rigid. This father got twenty years with no chance of parole.  Had he taken a plea bargain, he would have gotten probation only, but he wanted to clear his name and got slammed.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mandatory-minimum-sentencing-injustice-...

[P.A.]

Most all mandatory sentences are way out of line with the crime and cost society billions of dollars. They do not work to the good of society in any way. Most judges see this but they have no choice.
Private prison companies love them. It is like money in the bank. I actually know personally the founder of CCA (Corection Cooperation of America). He is filthy rich. Nice friendly guy but I can't get pasted how he got the money.

[ProblemAgain]

and you notice the lawyers advocating the mandatory minimums are prosecuting attorneys. it is in their best interest to have this tool since they can then bludgeon a person accused of a crime into a plea bargain even if the person is innocent rather than face a possible long prison term when the prosecutor tells them either plead guilty to this or we file this laundry list of more severe charges and the jury is bound to find you guilty of something. it doesn't escape the prosecutors that the cca and other corporations in the business contribute heavily to campaign funds.

• This just in    3:30pm ET 

'Numerous' women allege sexual abuse at Texas immigrant holding fac...

Ross D. Franklin-Pool/Getty Images

Calling for an immediate investigation, lawyers wrote a letter to federal officials this week alleging numerous instances of sexual abuse against women being held at the Karnes County Residential Center, in Texas, CNN reports.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Homeland Security hired for-profit prison company Geo Group Inc., which runs the immigrant holding facility. A spokesman for Geo Group denied any wrongdoing by workers at the facility, saying they provide "a safe, clean, and family-friendly environment for mothers and children awaiting required processing by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency."

But CNN reports that the facility, which can hold up to 532 detainees, has allegedly been the site of multiple instances of sexual abuse since August. Lawyers for women being held there say at least three employees at the center have committed acts of sexual abuse, such as removing female detainees from their cells at night to engage in sexual acts, requesting sexual favors in exchange for the promise of money, or assistance with pending immigration cases, and fondling, groping, and kissing the women in front of other detainees, including children.

The letter also alleges that the women reported the abuses to the facility's personnel, but that "to date, no action has been taken to stop or prevent this abuse."

[frenchy]

this is the kinda shit that makes people just wanna shoot somebody and get it over with .. if you fire a warnin shot then you go to jail .. i'd love to know who the hell voted that in .. and then hold them at gunpoint for about an hour and ask em .. should i shoot you ?? or just fire a warnin shot ??  

[T2Friends]

That sounds like a great idea Frenchy. 

[P.A.]

We have so many dumb ass laws in Tennessee that it is laughable. We used to make it on to the late night talk shows regularly but since Leno is gone, not as much.
I am 67 years old and almost totally gray but I have to show an ID to buy beer. Of course I don't have to show ID to buy liquor.
If you get drunk and can't drive home don't think about sleeping in your car. They will wake you up and charge you with DUI.
It is officially legal to eat rode kill.
Does anybody else have dumb laws in there state? Tell us about them.

[ProblemAgain]

sometimes we elect some dumbass people.

why wouldn't we get dumbass laws?

[frenchy]

well i didn't vote for him but in my district they elected trey radle .. who was in office for about 15 minutes and he got busted for coke and who knows what else .. maybe it was crack ?? so then they had to fill his seat after they finally forced him out of office .. you'd think that bein busted for coke and crack would be enough but not in d.c. .. if he got busted in florida it woulda been .. so they held a special election to fill his seat for all of a few months till they have another election .. i think we got stuck with curt clawson .. lets see how long it takes him to step on his own dick 17 times ..and of course they also elected rick scott the governor . this is the guy who was at the heart of the columbia health care systems medicare fraud of billions of dollars of overcharges .. and when put on the stand he took the 5th 87 times .. and yup .. they elected him anyway .. of course charlie christ was no prize either so it ain't much of a choice really .. you get what you pay for .. or should i say .. you get what the uber rich pay for .. yeah thats more like it ..