Raleigh - A ruling by the N.C. Court of Appeals in November could have an impact on the state's habitual felon law and consequently on the number of people who serve time because of it. The opinion, written by Judge Ann Marie Calabria, ruled that possession of cocaine is a misdemeanor and conviction of that charge cannot be used to trigger the habitual felon law. "Although possession of cocaine may be punished as a felony, the statute plainly defines it as a misdemeanor," Calabria wrote. [continues 238 words]
RALEIGH - When it comes to building enough prison cells to hold the state's inmates, North Carolina is barely treading water. The state just opened one 1,000-cell prison in Scotland County, will soon open another in Anson County and plans to open another in Alexander County next spring. The state also has approved a new prison in Greene County. "Even with those ... we're still going to have more folks in our system than we have bed capacity for," said Keith Acree, a spokesman for the N.C. Department of Correction. [continues 603 words]
In the quintessential example of the law of unintended consequences, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the Americans with Disabilities Act doesn't protect workers fired for breaking company rules. At least that's what the ruling seems to say. Joel Hernandez, an employee of Hughes Missile Systems, was fired in 1991 after he tested positive for cocaine use. Two years later, after kicking his habit, Hernandez applied to be rehired. Hughes turned him down, citing a policy against rehiring former employees dismissed for breaking company rules. [continues 296 words]
It seems that North Carolina is barely able to build prisons fast enough to meet the demands of an increasing prison population. Two new 1,000-bed prisons just opened and another one should be ready to receive inmates by the spring. And plans are already under way to build and open three more such prisons over the next couple of years or so. All that construction and the hundreds of millions that will be spent in building them - we don't want to house inmates in cells with shoddy construction, after all - is projected to meet the state's prison population needs through 2007. [continues 340 words]
It seems that North Carolina is barely able to build prisons fast enough to meet the demands of an increasing prison population. Two new 1,000-bed prisons just opened and another one should be ready to receive inmates by the spring. And plans are already under way to build and open three more such prisons over the next couple of years or so, including one in Greene County. All that construction and the hundreds of millions that will be spent in building them - we don't want to house inmates in cells with shoddy construction, after all - is projected to meet the state's prison population needs through 2007. [continues 307 words]
It seems that North Carolina is barely able to build prisons fast enough to meet the demands of an increasing prison population. Two new 1,000-bed prisons just opened and another one should be ready to receive inmates by the spring. And plans are already under way to build and open three more such prisons over the next couple of years or so. All that construction and the hundreds of millions that will be spent in building them - we don't want to house inmates in cells with shoddy construction, after all - are projected to meet the state's prison population needs through 2007. [continues 343 words]
Time for another Gooberhead Award, presented periodically to those in the news who have their tongues running a hundred miles an hour ... but who forgot to put their brains in gear. Today's award is shared by the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia and his higherups who are in charge of America's screwy drug policy. What's screwy in this case is Washington's insistence that our homegrown cocaine problem can be solved if only impoverished farmers in Bolivia and elsewhere can be forced to stop growing coca. But these farmers point out that - Hello! - coca is not cocaine. It's just a leaf crop that they've been growing and consuming for centuries, since before there was a USofA, with the leaves themselves simply chewed by the native people as a safe and mild stimulant - much as coffee is used by us Americans every day. [continues 193 words]
RALEIGH -- North Carolina is building three prisons and has approved financing for three more. That may not be enough to keep up with the parade of new prisoners. The latest projections on the number of inmates indicate that the state will have to build several more prisons if legislators don't choose other options to reduce the need for cells. The North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission's latest estimate last week indicates that the state will have 44,094 inmates behind bars by 2013, but will have only enough capacity for 37,743. [continues 272 words]
Increase In Prisoners Outstrips Construction, Latest Estimates State RALEIGH - North Carolina is building three new prisons and has approved financing for three more. That may not be enough to keep up with the parade of new prisoners. The latest projections on the number of inmates indicate the state will have to build several more prisons if legislators don't choose other options to reduce the need for cells. The N.C. Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission's latest estimate last week indicates that the state will have 44,094 inmates behind bars by 2013, but will have only enough capacity for 37,743. [continues 354 words]
6 new N.C. sites won't be enough North Carolina is building three new prisons and has approved financing for three more. But the latest projections on the number of inmates indicate the state will have to build several more if legislators don't choose other options to reduce the need for cells. The N.C. Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission's latest estimate, released this week, indicates that the state will have 44,094 inmates behind bars by 2013 but will have only enough capacity for 37,743. Such overcrowding could lead to U.S. Justice Department intervention, as it did in the 1980s when the state had a similar crisis. The new estimates show a continued uptick in the prison population. Last year, the commission revised its estimates upward because convictions for murder, robberies and drug trafficking rose by roughly 20 percent. The commission took the same tack this year, though not as precipitously, because of a 19 percent jump in habitual-felon convictions -- the so-called three strikes penalty -- and a roughly 5 percent jump in drug trafficking convictions. [continues 591 words]
MORGANTON -- Two years ago, drugs, money and her son were the only three things Cindy Hildebran really cared about. She spent her days and nights constantly awake, strung out on drugs. She said she would lock herself in her room so her son, Luke Jenkins, who wasn't even 10 years old at the time, wouldn't see her get high. Methamphetamine, commonly known as meth, was her drug of choice. If she wasn't using, she was out selling it, pushing the drug onto anyone who would buy it. [continues 847 words]
RUTHERFORD COLLEGE -- Lauren Wallrichs pledged Friday morning to never use drugs. And while reading an essay she wrote about the dangers of drugs, Wallrichs stood in front of the crowded pews of Abernethy Memorial United Methodist Church and said, "I pledge now to never take drugs no matter what kind of peer pressure I may have." Wallrichs made her public address at her school's fifth-grade D.A.R.E graduation. On Friday morning, students from two fifth-grade classes at Rutherford College Elementary School were honored by their parents, teachers, fellow students and law enforcement for their participation and graduation from the drug awareness program. [continues 306 words]
I first saw Johnny sitting on the corner of Hillcrest Drive and Totera Place. He looked both hungry and hopeless as he gazed out into space. I was on my way to Cloverleaf to get some pimento spread. On my way home, I passed him again. His position and countenance had not changed, as though he was etched in stone. I proceeded home, with a real uneasiness. I returned to the corner to find a wary Johnny starting up Hillcrest on the other side of the street. I called out to him and he pretended not to hear me. I told him that I was not a policeman, that I only wanted to help him. [continues 410 words]
Timothy D. Thayer's final fit of violence Sunday perhaps could have been prevented before it cost his life and three others. Thayer, a former State Bureau of Investigation agent and High Point police officer, killed his ex-wife, his 9-year-old son and a friend of his ex-wife, then himself, at her home near High Point in northeast Davidson County. Thayer had threatened Theresa Thayer many times, and had even fired shots in her home, according to people who knew the couple. [continues 320 words]
Principal at East Says Dogs, Officers Help Enforce Rules Kernersville Principal Patricia Gainey of East Forsyth High School says it is unfortunate that a student was arrested on drug charges last week after a pound of marijuana was found in a car on the school's parking lot. But the arrest also sends a message that students and parents need to hear, Gainey said. "I think it is a great sign that we are sending the message that wherever it is, we are going to find it," Gainey said. "It says that we are drug free and that if you want an education, you are going to play by our rules or go somewhere else." [continues 407 words]
To The Editor: Community columnist Sparky Hall was right on target in his outstanding column "War on Drugs Targets the Wrong People" (Dec. 12). I'd like to add that the counterproductive war on drugs continues because many people, organizations and industries with political power and influence have a vested financial interest in its continuation. When our grandfathers ended alcohol prohibition, it was not because they decided that alcohol was not so bad, but because of the crime and corruption that prohibition caused. [continues 84 words]
Despite A Federal Probe, The Congressman Says He's Doing His Best For Constituents WILLIAMSTON -- Much of this year, U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance probably would be happy to forget. After a long career in the state legislature and his election to Congress last year, Ballance and a foundation he started are under federal investigation for misusing taxpayers' money. Entering his district office in Williamston on Thursday afternoon to sip punch with constituents and his staff, Ballance seemed to have lost the bounce he had a little more than a year ago, when he was an influential state senator. [continues 723 words]
Just in time for the feel-good holiday season, residents of Watauga County have helped create a local heart-warming story that rivals Dickens' well-known Christmas tale. Project Holiday Elf, sponsored by High Country Honda, will help make this Christmas special for a unique group of 17 dispossessed children in the county - children who have been discovered living in homes where methamphetamine was produced. Because the byproducts of methamphetamine production are so toxic, child protection workers at the Division of Social Services, in conjunction with members of the county's methamphetamine task force, decided early on for safety's sake that any children exposed to such a hazard would be required to leave all their clothes, toys and special belongings behind. The 17 affected children - ranging in age from 4 months to 15 years - have lost all of their familiar and loved objects, in addition to their homes and, in many cases, their parents. [continues 364 words]
GREENSBORO -- The first health-risk behavior survey of Guilford County's middle and high school-age youth verified what many officials already know: Children are having sex, taking drugs, smoking and drinking. Though it may not be a surprise, hearing that one in two teens has had sex and one in 10 middle school students has tried drugs had a sobering effect on officials. Want to know more? To read the Guilford County Youth Risk Behavior Survey, go online to www.news-record.com/news/high_school.doc and www.news-record.com/news/middle_school.doc [continues 717 words]
In response to "Officials push for tougher drug laws" (Dec. 5):Methamphetamine's addictiveness and harm are proven, and the danger to children exposed to amateur "meth labs" is unquestionable. Attorney General Roy Cooper proposes tougher punishments. Do harsher penalties really reduce overall public harm from this drug? Meth labs' decades-long transcontinental march against vigorous enforcement provides a wealth of data and experience to guide policy. Let's better deploy our finite resources than ritualistically feeding a bloated criminal justice apparatus. A cursory look shows meth lab activity in Oklahoma and Alabama unabated despite harsh anti-drug measures contributing to overloaded prisons and fiscal peril. We should expect Mr. Cooper to cogently explain why his plan will succeed this time. Lake Waccamaw [end]
I found Vincent Schiraldi's Dec. 7 Op-ed article "Finding the key to prisons" a strong, rational appeal to revamp our criminal justice policies. He pointed out that our mentality and methods for dealing with criminals aren't working, which means taxpayer money is being misspent. While reading about the dozen states that have reduced prison populations while making moves to change sentencing and treatment policies, I found myself surprised that North Carolina was not among them. Jumps in the state's prison population, the opening of several expensive prison in recent years and no real change in recidivism or new offender rates should have all of us scratching our heads in wonder. [continues 63 words]
Our state's methamphetamine problem is a bit overstated ("Meth manufacturers should face harder penalties, law officials say," Dec. 6). I have zero sympathy for parents who harm their children by making or using dangerous drugs, but meth is nowhere near the greatest drug threat to North Carolina's children - that would be tobacco. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids reports that 120,000 high school students in North Carolina smoke and 416,000 children are exposed to second-hand smoke each year. Smoking kills 11,500 adult North Carolina smokers each year, and exposure to second-hand smoke kills at least 1,210 in our state annually. [continues 140 words]
The entire Rocky Mount community needs to help fight the war on drugs. That was the consensus among many of the roughly 20 people who attended a community meeting Thursday to discuss the drug problem in Rocky Mount at North End Missionary Baptist Church. The meeting was organized by the Rev. Elbert Lee, pastor of North End. Among those in attendance were representatives from the Rocky Mount Police Department, Rocky Mount City Council and the Rocky Mount branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. [continues 292 words]
Superior Court Judge James Baker began his written order dismissing charges against 11 defendants with a quote: "It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is." The quote comes from a 200-year old U.S. Supreme Court case defining the authority and the duty of the newly established court. Whether or not Baker's dismissal order will be "what the law is" will be decided by N.C. appellate courts. Baker's order, signed Nov. 26, dismissed 15 charges of knowingly storing, manufacturing or possessing a weapon of mass destruction (WMD). The WMD charges against Frederick C. Alderson, Tamberlyn W. Alderson, Christina M. Cox, Gary Joseph Cox, Christopher Lee Greene, Michael F. Laird, Martin D. Miller, Pamela L. Osborne, Jessi B. Rash, Frankie Wayne Taylor and Richard Len Taylor, Sr. were linked to allegations that the charged individuals were in possession of the precursor chemicals for the manufacture of methamphetamine or had been involved in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. [continues 917 words]
SANFORD - Drug carriers on campuses in Lee County schools will have no place to hide once a trained drug-sniffing dog is on duty. That day is not too far off, following approval of the purchase of a dog by the Lee County Board of Education on Monday. A school resource officer will be trained as its handler and the dog will live at the home of the handler, who has not yet been selected. The board unanimously approved (with board member Jo Ann Thomas absent) signing a contract with Tarheel Canine Training Inc. of Sanford for the dog and training. [continues 199 words]
One of the issues the local Meth Task Force has been working on for several months is the development of a standard protocol for emergency room treatment of children found in homes where methamphetamine has been produced. Dr. Bob Ellison of the Appalachian District Health Department brought the discussion a step closer to resolution last Friday by presenting suggestions for immediate care and clinical evaluations.As a prelude, Ellison reviewed the potential effects of chemical exposure from meth production: skin and eye irritation, burns and respiratory effects such as cough and asthma. Long term effects can include liver, spleen and kidney damage, respiratory difficulties, delayed speech and language and possible neurological damage. [continues 1326 words]
More than 150 law enforcement officers from across the state are gathering here this week to gain skills that can help them crack down on the rising number of methamphetamine labs in North Carolina. So far this year, officials in the state have raided 173 meth labs, up from 98 in 2002. They raided 34 labs in 2001, said Van Shaw, assistant special agent in charge of the State Bureau of Investigation. Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, is a highly addictive stimulant that can be made with household chemicals. [continues 432 words]
Has This Country Become The Modern Equivalent Of Sparta? If you remember your history lessons from school, I'm sure you will recall that the main business for Sparta was to conduct war. They were real good at it, and all the other Greek cities were scared to death of them. We have the war on terrorism, the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Liberia. We are thinking about one in North Korea, and maybe a few other places we haven't been told about yet. [continues 559 words]
I would like to express my opinion of the double standard currently occurring in Davidson County with Gerald Hege. I'm one of the officers arrested in December 2001. I was arrested on Dec. 12, 2001, and have been incarcerated ever since. I was denied bond because I was considered a danger to the community after 12 years of serving that community. Hege has never been jailed (released on bond) and continues to draw his salary that is paid by taxpayers. [continues 79 words]
North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said it's an issue that "is so serious I believe the General Assembly will want to address it.'' The issue is methamphetamine labs, and yes, it is an issue the General Assembly should address. Methamphetamine, or meth, production has skyrocketed in North Carolina, and the western part of the state is no exception. The production curve is alarming. In 1999 nine meth labs were investigated in North Carolina. That number jumped to 18 in 2000, 34 in 2001, 98 in 2002 and as this year winds down, 171 labs have been busted to date. [continues 395 words]
Officers Learn How To Fight The Illegal Drug Methamphetamine During A Statewide Conference This Week In Hickory. HICKORY - More than 150 law enforcement officers from across the state are at the Hickory Metro Convention Center this week for a seminar concerning the illegal drug methamphetamine. The federally funded conference, sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, is an awareness program focused on training officers for the investigation and management of clandestine meth laboratories. Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, is a highly addictive stimulant that can be manufactured in the home from everyday household products. Its production and abuse have become a growing problem for law enforcement - and society as a whole - in recent years. [continues 350 words]
ASHEBORO - On Feb. 1, 2001, local city and county law enforcement officials came together for a drug summit. Held at Asheboro High School, it attracted over 1,000 people who came to hear the speakers and see what they could do to get involved. A Drug Task Force was created and neighborhood watches were set up. But where are we now? Has drug activity escalated or declined? Are law enforcement officials making a dent in what is seen as an ever-present problem? [continues 507 words]
Two-Strike Expulsion Is A Way Into Treatment, Attorney Says School officials are studying whether to add a third strike to the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools' drug policy. The district is considering changes in part because it ranks among the state's leaders in expulsions. The district had 3 percent of the state's enrollment but 19 percent - or 44 - of the state's expulsions in 2001-02, the most recent year that complete data is available. "It's just an issue," said Doug Punger, the school system's attorney. "We've had a large number of expulsions." [continues 455 words]
CHARLOTTE -- People who operate methamphetamine labs, especially in households with children, should get tougher punishment than state law now allows, justice officials say. N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper and Van Shaw Jr., an agent with the State Bureau of Investigation in Charlotte, lobbied the N.C. Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission yesterday for tougher penalties for manufacturing meth, including longer prison sentences. They also sought a separate felony child-endangerment charge for making meth in the presence of minors. "The penalties are really not in line with the danger and the addictive effects of the drug," Shaw said Thursday before the meeting. [continues 347 words]
Suspension terms are changed for alcohol, drug-policy violations The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education voted unanimously last night to amend the district's drug policy to allow students to remain in school after a second drug or alcohol offense. The policy previously called for students to be expelled after a second offense. Penalties for the first time a student is caught with drugs or alcohol will remain the same. The student is suspended for three to five days and can be suspended for the rest of the year. [continues 340 words]
HICKORY -- More than 150 law enforcement officers from across the state are gathering here this week to gain skills that can help them crack down on the rising number of methamphetamine labs in North Carolina. So far this year, officials in the state have raided 173 meth labs, up from 98 in 2002. They raided 34 labs in 2001, said Van Shaw, assistant special agent in charge of the State Bureau of Investigation. Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, is a highly addictive stimulant that can be made with household chemicals. [continues 410 words]
The Facts Do Not Justify Attributing This Death To Officers' Misconduct The coroner says he called it homicide only because he had no choice. Under Ohio law, he explained, his only other options were to categorize the death as accidental, natural or suicide. None of those, he felt, adequately accounted for how Nathaniel Jones died -- i.e., after being beaten with nightsticks wielded by Cincinnati police officers. The officers say they were only seeking to subdue the 41-year-old black man after he began acting strangely -- dancing and barking out numbers -- and then became combative during an encounter outside a fast-food restaurant. [continues 573 words]
Shift Is Intended To Make Area Safer Burton Park in Durham has been a sanctuary for drug dealers and users for years. Their days may now be numbered. During a ceremony Saturday at the park, Mayor Bill Bell passed control of the small swath of land to the Durham Housing Authority in an effort to crack down on criminal activity and make the park safe for kids. "Hopefully by the time summer arrives, we'll see a park full of children," said James Anderson, a housing manager, before he and others accepted a symbolic key to the park from the mayor. [continues 261 words]
Regarding the article about industrial hemp [Herald-Sun, Nov. 30]: Efforts to legalize hemp gained force in September, 2003 when the Departments of Agriculture in all 50 states supported revisions to federal rules to allow "development of domestic industrial hemp production by American farmers and manufacturers." In Europe, much of the hemp fiber is used to make composites such as auto dashboards and door panels, not only because they are recyclable but because the hemp-molding process takes one minute as opposed to nine minutes with petroleum-based composites, a cost-saving in time and energy. Also, cross pollination with industrial hemp would put the U.S. marijuana growers out of business. How could the DEA or Congress object to that? The writer is vice chairwoman of the North American Industrial Hemp Council. Durham [end]
When I first heard that Rush Limbaugh had gone deaf, I assumed that it was because of atrophy. Now it appears that the culprit could have been OxyContin. I certainly do not bear him any ill will and hope that he recovers from his addiction as well as he did from his deafness. I just wonder if he will turn himself in to authorities so they can send him up the river, since he is a white guy who got addicted to drugs. [continues 67 words]
Johnston County's sheriff arrested one of his own jailers Friday on charges that the jailer ran a drug trade out of his house in Smithfield and employed his 16-year-old daughter to sell marijuana. Jerry Lynn Pierce, 41, was arrested about 3 p.m. at his home on Brogden Road. Sheriff Steve Bizzell and narcotics officers seized 500 grams of marijuana, $300 cash, scales and other drug paraphernalia there, according to a news release. The marijuana had a street value of about $3,000, the release said. Bizzell, who arrested Pierce and fired him on the spot, said investigators acted on tips from accused drug offenders. [continues 462 words]
Effect On Children Worries Officials CHARLOTTE -- People who operate methamphetamine labs, especially in households with children, should get tougher punishment than state law now allows, justice officials say. State Attorney General Roy Cooper and Van Shaw Jr., an agent with the State Bureau of Investigation in Charlotte, lobbied the N.C. Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission on Friday for tougher penalties for manufacturing meth, including longer prison sentences. They also sought a separate felony child-endangerment charge for making meth in the presence of minors. [continues 185 words]
Pitch Aims to Protect Children From Dangerous Meth Labs State justice officials are pushing for tougher laws to punish people who operate methamphetamine labs, especially in households with children. N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper and Van Shaw Jr., an agent with Charlotte's State Bureau of Investigation, today will lobby the N.C. Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission for tougher penalties for manufacturing meth, including longer prison sentences. They also will ask for a separate felony child endangerment charge for making meth in the presence of minors. [continues 1172 words]
Kings Mountain, East Lincoln Report the Most Crimes of 80 Schools Both Lincoln and Kings Mountain high schools continue to struggle with students bringing illegal drugs and weapons to school. East Lincoln and Kings Mountain high schools reported the most crimes among the 80 public schools in Gaston and Lincoln. East Lincoln had 25 incidents and Kings Mountain had 16, compared with 15 at Hunter Huss High, the Gaston school with the most crimes. The N.C. Department of Public Instruction compiled school-by-school crime reports for the 2002-03 school year because of the new federal No Child Left Behind law. Previous years' statistics were not available from the state or the school districts. [continues 405 words]
Tips From Students, Increased Vigilance Help In Fight To Keep Kids Safe GASTONIA - Five years ago, an officer working undercover at Cherryville High School arrested five students who allegedly sold drugs to him. Now, Principal Steve Huffstetler says Cherryville students are unlikely to hide a marijuana cigarette on campus without him knowing about it. That's because he pays students $100 for tips that lead to arrests. Student-run anti-drug and anti-crime clubs raise the money. Huffstetler's approach to fighting crime is just one way Gaston elementary, middle and high schools have been working to reduce crimes in schools. [continues 1077 words]
Regarding your Nov. 21 editorial "Cocaine's legal haze," no one who has had a family member or loved one addicted to cocaine or crack cocaine would share your opinion. A state law making cocaine possession a felony prevents many would-be cocaine dealers from selling this drug. This problem is horrible already. Imagine what will happen if possession is a misdemeanor. The state Court of Appeals' ruling means and I quote from my local paper, "someone could be arrested for having as many as 150 $20 rocks of cocaine and be charged with only a misdemeanor." If this interpretation stands, nearly all dealers arrested would be charged only with a misdemeanor, and the addicts, for whom incarceration is in their best interest, would continue to walk the streets as slaves to the addiction. If citizens think burglaries, robberies, car thefts, breaking and entering and larceny are a problem now, wait until this law is changed. It may triple the number of dealers and addicts. Stealing to obtain money or goods to trade for drugs will increase proportionately. [continues 72 words]
To the Editor: 1984 is riding into town on the back of the methods used by the police and society in the drug war. Warrant less, suspicion less searches using urine or dogs is indoctrinating our youth to accept Big Brother as their guardian angel. Whatever happened to parental responsibility? Since drugs are cheaper, stronger and easier to buy than 30 years ago, what good is drug prohibition? Officer Howard J. Wooldridge (retired), Member, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Dallas, Texas [end]
Action Undermines Confidence In Authorities To Act Sensibly We support the goal of a drug-free environment for the teenagers studying in high schools around our state. We back the parents, educators and law enforcement officers who strive each day for an orderly, lawful and safe school environment. So there is no way we can back last week's armed incursion into Berkeley County's Stratford High School. It was an extreme, unnecessary gesture, unwarranted by the principal's description of suspected drug activity in the area. [continues 147 words]
The N.C. Court of Appeals decision that simple cocaine possession is a misdemeanor, not a felony, will get a closer look from the state Supreme Court. If the high court agrees with that interpretation, the General Assembly should consider rewriting the law so there's no doubt about the seriousness of illegally possessing drugs. As it stands, state prosecutors could face hundreds of resentencing motions from prison inmates convicted as felons for possessing lesser amounts of cocaine. In some of those cases, defendants were sentenced to lengthy terms as habitual offenders. Downgrading the charge to a misdemeanor opens cell doors for many repeaters serving long stretches imposed under strict sentencing guidelines. [continues 315 words]
Here Is The Step-By-Step Process At Florida Detox: Pre-admission: The day before they are detoxed, patients undergo a medical evaluation that includes blood work and an EKG. Their mental health also is evaluated, through testing and a consultation with a staff psychologist, for underlying problems, such as depression and attention deficit disorder, that could affect long-term recovery. The psychologist helps create a post-detox plan, which might include recommendations for counseling or a residential-treatment program. Patients stop taking their addictive drug, such as OxyContin or methadone, the following day. [continues 279 words]
Inside North Carolina
