HERE'S another example of how America's war on drugs has devolved into a war on people. In 1998, Congress passed an amendment in the Higher Education Act to deny federal financial aid to college students convicted for possession or sale of illegal drugs. In America, you can be convicted for rape, murder or drunk driving and still qualify for federal aid as long as you didn't smoke pot. The measure isn't as harsh as it first sounds. Convictions before age 18 don't apply. The ineligibility period lasts for one year for a first-possession offense and two years for a first-dealing offense, but is "indefinite' for repeat offenders. Even then, would-be students can have the ban lifted by completing drug rehabilitation and passing two drug tests. [continues 761 words]
EL MONTE -- The city of El Monte will pay $3 million to the family of a 64-year-old grandfather shot in the back during a 1999 drug raid in Compton, officials announced Wednesday. The settlement also includes 15 conditions . including an apology to the family within 10 days . as part of the agreement approved Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Josh M. Fredricks. Noted criminal and civil attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., the Paz family lawyer, held a news conference Wednesday to announce the settlement. He called the agreed-upon conditions "unprecedented." [continues 764 words]
In California, no matter how fast we build new prisons and add to existingones, we will never have enough space until we change the system. Most people bent on doing what they want to do, regardless of what various laws allow, know that their chances of being given a seriously long sentence and having to serve the whole sentence are extremely unlikely. As long as judges are allowed to give concurrent sentences and "sob-sister" sentences with time off for good behavior, we will never convince anti-social people that we are serious. [continues 355 words]
