WASHINGTON - Ismael Rosa, a salsa singer serving a lifetime prison sentence for drug crimes, had often promised his lawyers that he would sing for them if he ever won his freedom. On Wednesday, Mr. Rosa was brought to the warden's office at the Federal Correctional Institution in Pekin, Ill., and was told that President Obama had granted him clemency. On the phone with his lawyer, the lyrics from a gospel hymn finally slipped past his lips as tears streamed down his face. [continues 1090 words]
President Obama commuted the sentences of 61 inmates Wednesday, part of his ongoing effort to give relief to prisoners who were harshly sentenced in the nation's war on drugs. More than one-third of the inmates were serving life sentences. Obama has granted clemency to 248 federal inmates, including Wednesday's commutations. White House officials said that Obama will continue granting clemency to inmates who meet certain criteria set out by the Justice Department throughout his last year. The president has vowed to change how the criminal justice system treats nonviolent drug offenders. [continues 948 words]
A sweeping criminal justice bill that cleared the Maryland Senate last week is supposed to right some of the wrongs of the decades-long war on drugs. The legislation aims to reduce Maryland's prison population and save hundreds of millions of dollars on prison costs by easing sentencing laws for nonviolent drug offenders and pushing people who are arrested with drugs into treatment instead of behind bars. But the bill was almost derailed last week after the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee amended the measure, arguing that it went too far in keeping offenders out of jail and could pose a risk to public safety. Now the bill heads to the more liberal House of Delegates, where an emotional debate is expected this week. [continues 1108 words]
Man Could Remain Locked Up for Good Because of Appeal Limits The judge who sentenced Raymond Surratt Jr. to life in prison didn't think he deserved that tough a penalty. His attorneys said it was based on bad math. Even the government lawyers who prosecuted him say the sentence was a mistake. Yet they all also agree Surratt might stay locked up forever. How that came to be is at the heart of arguments to be heard Wednesday when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit takes up Surratt's case, which turns on how many times inmates can appeal a sentence, particularly if the law becomes more lenient after they are sent to prison. [continues 1072 words]
Justice Department Leaving Lower- Level Defendants to States. WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors are charging fewer defendants with drug crimes as part of an initiative to target more serious and violent offenders, a top Justice Department official said Monday. Deputy Atty. Gen. Sally Yates said newly released statistics showed that federal prosecutors brought nearly 20% fewer drug cases in f iscal year 2015 than they did in fiscal 2012, the year before the Justice Department launched its "Smart on Crime Initiative," which has sought to recalibrate how it uses its resources to combat narcotics crimes. [continues 258 words]
WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors are pursuing fewer drug cases and filing charges that trigger mandatory minimum sentences less frequently - two indications, Justice Department officials say, that former Attorney General Eric Holder's initiative to reduce the prison population and enforce drug laws more judiciously has been a success. Federal prosecutors brought 6 percent fewer drug cases in fiscal year 2015 than they did in 2014, continuing a steady decline since Holder announced his "Smart on Crime" initiative three years ago, according to Justice Department data released Monday. [continues 224 words]
The flurry of new initiatives introduced by the federal government signals a major philosophical shift on drug policy issues. First, Health Minister Jane Philpott approved the Dr. Peter Centre's application to continue operating a supervised injection site in Vancouver, giving hope that similar sites in other parts of the country might also be welcomed by the government. Then, she visited Insite, Vancouver's other supervised injection facility, which she described as "having a huge impact on people" and "incredibly moving." That was closely followed by news that Health Canada would fast-track the process of changing the status of naloxone to a non-prescription drug, making it easier to access this lifesaving medication that's administered during overdoses. [continues 604 words]
Progressive Plan Earns Eruption of Applause The Liberal government used its first foray into the global anti-narcotics arena this week to signal a clear shift from the war on drugs philosophy, promising more safe-injection sites, promoting "harm reduction" and touting its plan to legalize marijuana. The speech by Hilary Geller, an assistant deputy minister of health, caused a stir at the generally staid Commission on Narcotic Drugs conference in Vienna, observers said. The audience of government and non-governmental organization officials from around the world "erupted in applause" midway through the address and gave a prolonged ovation at the end, said Jason Nickerson, an Ottawa-based researcher who is attending the meeting. [continues 551 words]
The state Legislature is set to repeal a 27-year-old law requiring a driver's license suspension for those convicted of drug crimes, such as possession, that have nothing to do with driving. The final vote could come as soon as next week, and Governor Charlie Baker has signaled he will sign the measure. Advocates say the suspensions have been a major impediment for former offenders trying to rebuild their lives. Without a license, it can be difficult to find work, take children to day care, and get to drug-treatment programs. [continues 466 words]
President Obama is expected to grant clemency to another group of drug offenders in the coming weeks, part of his ongoing effort to provide relief to inmates in federal prisons who were sentenced to harsh terms during the nation's war on drugs. The White House will also be holding an event on March 31, called Life after Clemency, that will include former inmates and their attorneys, along with some prison reform advocates. The White House gathering, which is not open to the media, traces one of the president's centerpiece criminal-justice initiatives and will include a discussion on "ways to improve paths to reentry," according to the invitation. [continues 291 words]
It's difficult to understand why our prime minister continues to let anyone be criminally charged and convicted for possession of marijuana - a substance he thinks should be legal. A substance he has smoked. As we learned years ago, Trudeau smoked marijuana in the time since being elected MP. Some Conservatives tried to make a big deal of it. But most Canadians gave the story a pass. Back then, Trudeau and the Liberals voted with the Conservatives to set mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana possession. It was a terrible decision. But it was a Liberal caucus decision. And Trudeau was not leader yet. So Trudeau can again get a pass. [continues 488 words]
On Dec. 5, 2014, San Francisco police were on the corner of Hyde Street and Golden Gate Avenue in the Tenderloin, arresting crack sellers. It was a busy day: Shortly after busting one man for selling a few rocks to an undercover police officer, a cop returned to the scene of the crime to gather data to fill out his report when he witnessed another drug deal in action. The cop busted that seller, who identified himself to police as "a Sureno from the south side," according to court records. Police later found that both sellers had extensive rap sheets for narcotic sales. [continues 953 words]
When it comes to political corruption, serious crime pays in the Ocean County, New Jersey Superior Court. Case in point: Howard Birdsall of Birdsall Services Group, pleaded guilty to corporate misconduct and fraud charges, admitting to making countless illegal political donations to score high-value government contracts. Under the terms of his plea before Judge James Den Uyl, he will get a four year sentence, with likely immediate Intensive Supervision Parole release. Mr. Birdsall might never see a day in prison. [continues 96 words]
As Canada heads toward a new era of legal marijuana use, federal prosecutors are still trying to jail people who grow small amounts of cannabis in their home to sell to others, sending a tough-ondrugs message that some say is at odds with the new approach. And they continue to seek criminal records, and sometimes jail time, for people charged with simple possession of marijuana for their own use. In a case in Victoria Harbour, Ont., the public prosecution service is seeking a six-month jail term for a man who grew 29 plants in his home, and who sold a small amount - one ounce a week - to his friends, what his lawyers refer to as "social trafficking." Stephen Morris is a single father and first-time offender, and he pleaded guilty. The prosecutor said in a legal filing he deserves six months in prison because he grew the plants in a room adjacent to one occupied by his teenage daughter. "It's a remarkable thing to have the government say they want to legalize and still want to put people in jail for minor infractions," Osgoode law professor Alan Young said. [continues 565 words]
Despite Recent Setbacks, Utah Republican Says Legislation Has Traction The co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation to reduce some mandatory minimum drug and gun sentences said Wednesday that he is hopeful Congress can still pass the bill despite recent setbacks. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said issues have arisen that have slowed the legislation - considered by advocates of sentencing reform to be the most significant in decades. But "I don't believe it's stalled," he said at "Out of Jail, Into Society," a Washington Post Live event about prison reform. [continues 533 words]
Now a Professor, He Writes to Obama About Mandatory 55-Year Term A former federal judge in Utah asked President Obama on Tuesday to "swiftly" give clemency to Weldon Angelos, a man he sentenced to 55 years in prison in connection with selling marijuana. Calling the sentence "one of the most troubling that I ever faced in my five years on the federal bench," Paul G. Cassell, now a professor at the University of Utah's law school, said the mandatory minimum sentence he was required to impose on Angelos was one of the chief reasons he chose to step down as a judge. [continues 761 words]
