1/ Please read this story about Matthew Charles. http://nashvillepublicradio.org/post/nashville-man-spent-two-decades-behind-bars-now-government-wants-him-go-back …
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2/ It highlights so many of the things that are wrong with our criminal justice system.
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3/ Let’s start with sentencing disparities between different forms of the same drug: crack vs. cocaine.
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4/ It makes no scientific sense to treat these differently. The current sentencing disparity is 18:1.
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5/ Meaning that 1 gm of crack gets the same sentence as 18 gms of cocaine. There is no basis for this in science.
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6/ Furthermore, cocaine use in the US is 3X as prevalent as crack use, but crack users are at higher risk for arrest.
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7/ These sentencing disparities disproportionately affect POC and the poor.
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8/ Next: minimum mandatory sentencing. These laws have led to a dramatic increase in prison populations with no societal benefit.
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9/ These laws feed the prison pipeline to for-profit prisons. They separate families unjustly. And they cause economic harm to the poor.
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10/ They, too, disproportionately harm POC and the poor.
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11/ In 2013, AG Eric Holder recognized the problem and instructed states to reserve the most severe penalties for serious offenses.
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12/ Many states have recognized this also and have passed legislation to ease the burden of minimum mandatory sentencing.
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13/ There is bipartisan support in Congress to do the same. But now AG Jeff Sessions has instructed states to be more aggressive.
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14/ Again, studies show that shorter sentences for non-violent offenders do not compromise public safety.
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15/ In other words, there is no valid reason to aggressively pursue mandatory minimum sentences. They cause harm and provide no benefit.
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16/ Lastly, in this particular story, what possible good can come from putting Mr. Charles back in prison?
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17/ What message do we send when we don’t support people who have clearly been rehabilitated? This is simply crazy. It serves no purpose.
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End/ I hope that the court recognizes this and does the right thing. Mr. Charles deserves our support and he deserves a second chance.
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