Good commentary at Reason
Thursday, January 9, 2014
life for pot release non violent marijuana prisoners
NON-VIOLENT INMATES SERVING SENTNECES OF LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE FOR MARIJUANA
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Farewell 2013 !
P.S. Ruckman at Pardon Power with statistics about his blog. This is a great blog to check for all information about Clemency.
Farewell 2013 !
Farewell 2013 !
Thursday, November 21, 2013
This is a link to the ACLU call to action. The Report released on Nov 13 spotlights many of the non-violent offenders serving sentences of Life without Parole for marijuana who are on the Life for Pot web site - http://www.lifeforpot.com
Please join the ACLU's effort on behalf of inmates serving sentences of Life without Parole for nonviolent offenses. This is a petition asking the Justice Department to review these sentences.
End the affront to justice
Shoplifting three belts. Siphoning gas from an 18-wheeler. Selling a single crack rock. These are just some of the offenses that can get you sentenced to spend your entire life in prison, until the day you die, with no chance of ever getting out for good behavior.
Thousands of people have been sentenced to die in prison for nonviolent offenses because of overly extreme mandatory sentencing laws that take away judges’ discretion. In case after case we reviewed, the sentencing judge said on the record that he or she opposed the mandatory sentence as too severe but their hands were tied.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Sentencing Project on LWOP and Clemency
P.S. Ruckman's Pardon Power Blog is always
Interesting and Worth the Read
Friday, August 9, 2013
LETTER TO UNITED STATES SENTENCING COMMISSION FOR LIFE FOR POT RELEASE NON-VIOLENT MARIJUANA OFFENDERS
FIRST - JUST A LITTLE COMMERCIAL
End Mandatory Minimums and remove marijuana from the
FIRST - JUST A LITTLE COMMERCIAL
End Mandatory Minimums and remove marijuana from the
Schedule of the Controlled Substance Act
We have the right to expect our
government to be fiscally responsible and respect the civil liberties of its
citizens
EVERY YEAR U.S. CITIZENS
VOLUNTARILY PAY TAXES TO THEIR GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE SERVICES FOR THE PUBLIC
GOOD
http://www.lifeforpot.com
LIFE FOR POT
RELEASE NON-VIOLENT MARIJUANA ONLY OFFENDERS
PLEASE REMEMBER $40,000.00 TO $72,000.00
WILL
BE SPENT PER MAN
EACH YEAR TO KEEP
THESE SENIOR NON-VIOLENT MARIJUANA ONLY OFFENDERS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR THE REST OF THEIR
LIVES.
IN
THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
THEY
SHOULD BE RELEASED
http://www.lifeforpot.com
LETTER TO USSC
LETTER TO USSC
Beth Curtis
Life
for Pot
100 Hale Rd
Zanesville, OH. 43701
Ph.# 740 452 2867
July 10, 2013
Att:
Public Affairs Priorities Comment
United
States Sentencing Commission
One
Columbus Circle NE
Suite
2-500 Lobby
Washington
DC 20002-8002
RE:
Sentencing Guidelines for United States Courts
Dear
Chairman Patti Saris and Commission Members,
This testimony is submitted by the
organization LFP – Life for Pot http://www.lifeforpot.com
LFP
has distinct and significant concerns with mandatory minimums. We represent a group of Federal inmates who
were convicted of non-violent, marijuana only offenses who have received Life
without Parole in the federal system.
These
inmates have no violent priors and no violence in their current cases, yet they
are serving sentences that some consider worse than death.
Amendment 1.
Amendment 2.
In
these cases, the controlling length of sentencing should be limited by a
maximum, not a minimum sentence. The
Texas legislature did this by reducing the term for drug and property offenses
from a maximum of 10 years to a maximum of 5 years. Mandatory minimums make no more sense than
mandatory maximums.
Non-violent
marijuana offenders are serving sentences of Life without Parole while Venture
Capitalists and entrepreneurs are developing business plans to manufacture and distribute
the same substance. Marijuana remains as
a schedule I drug as states continue to legalize it in varying degrees. These are difficult contradictions and demean
the system.
Sentencing
for conspiracy is overly broad and encompassing and also too easily prosecuted
when the prosecutor's job is facilitated by sting operations, co-operating
witnesses and mandatory sentencing.
These
sentencing circumstances are not universally respected.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Julie Stewart has a piece in the Huffingtonpost about Presidential Commutation. The US Justice Department issued a report to the United States Sentencing Commission encouraging them to make recommendations that would decrease the inmate population in Federal Prisons. Commutations could compliment this effort and also point the way to sentencing that would save money, speak to justice and mercy while not jeopradizing public safety.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-stewart/clemency-reform-president-obama_b_3618749.html?utm_source=Alert-blogger&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%2BNotifications#postComment
Friday, July 5, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Pot Lobby Softball Team Smokes White House, 5-2
Great Group of Marijuana Reformers beat White House
Soft Bell Team
Friday, June 14, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
This post is about Deputy Attorney General James Cole - Remarks from the Children of Incarcerated Parents Initiative "Champions of Change"
I find it very disturbing that one of the solutions to the problem of children whose parents are incarcerated would not be to end egregiously long sentences for non-violent offenders. Hundreds of millions of dollars would be saved and children would need far less government support in the form of counseling, and could print and distribute far fewer booklets "Mommies and Daddies in Prison"
Rather than spending tax dollars for grants to "enhance parental and family relationships for incarcerated parents" children would actually be able to have an on going relationship with their parent.
These remarks about what the government will do to help children demonstrates an myopic view of of saving American families and saving American taxpayers.
By reudcing incarceration for non-violent offenders - we could start with non-violent marijuana offenders - we get a double bonus - Children with intact families - save money by not incarcerating their parents - save money by not needing to give services to children to help them adjust to having a parent incarcerated.
~ Wednesday, June 12, 2013
It is estimated that more than 1.7 million children currently have a parent in prison, and many more have parents who are in local jails or lock-ups at any given time. As we’ve heard today, addressing these children’s needs requires a coordinated effort of multiple government agencies and social service entities to implement collaborative approaches. This Administration is committed to providing support to children of incarcerated parents and their caregivers. Through an interagency working group led by the White House, agencies across the Administration have been taking a hard look at the issues these children, their caregivers and their parents confront and how we can provide more support. Today, we’ve announced a number of efforts to promote the well-being of these children -- from the time of their parents’ arrest to their parents’ reentry into our communities.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Great article by Nick Gillespie at Reason
NSA Scandal: Why We Get the Police State We Deserve. And What We Can Do to Fix That.
In the first flush of stories about how the National Security Agency is surveilling American citizens, one stomach-turning revelation hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves: We get the surveillance state we deserve because rank political partisanship trumps bedrock principle every goddamn time on just about every goddamn issue....
Sunday, June 9, 2013
OPA on "Denied or Closed Without Presidential Action"
This post by PS Ruckman on his great blog Pardon Power provides some insight on the operation of the the Office of the Pardon Attorney. Many thanks to Professor Ruckman for his diligent work.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Students Suspended Over Using Nerf Gun Brought to School for Lesson on Probability
Another case of Over Criminalization
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Congressional Abdication
Great article on National Interest. org by Senator Jim Webb
We will miss him in the Senate
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The RP in Newsweek: Inside the Movement to Legalize Hemp
By Jonathan Miller - The Recovering Politician.
The RP in Newsweek: Inside the Movement to Legalize Hemp
Friday, May 10, 2013
Marijuana Education/Legalization: 5 Senior Citizens Serving Life Without Parole for ...
Another post about Five Senior, non-violent, marijuana only offenders serving sentences of Life without Parole for selling marijuana. This is a travesty that should be corrected by a Presidential Commutation.
Marijuana Education/Legalization: 5 Senior Citizens Serving Life Without Parole for ...: 5 Senior Citizens Serving Life Without Parole for Pot Should five non-violent offenders die behind bars for a crime Americans incre...
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Day 2 of the Hemp Parade Continues…
Jonathan Miller - The Recovering Politician is in Washington lobbying for hemp legalization. Thank you Jonathan.
Day 2 of the Hemp Parade Continues…
Day 2 of the Hemp Parade Continues…
This is an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about the Safety Valve Act of 2013
Ending mandatory minimums is long overdue. Families Against Mandatory Minimums is the national activist group that has worked specifically to removing mandatory minimum sentencing. They are supported by a long list of organizations fighting for civil liberties, ending the drug war, prison reform, and fiscal responsibility.
It is heartening to see this thoughtful editorial by Douglas Berman and Harlan Protass in the Wall Street Journal.
We just lament that this is not the end of the road for those non-violent marijuana offenders who are serving sentences of Life without Parole in the federal system for selling marijuana.
These inmates will get relief only from retroactive legislation or Presidential Commutation. We hope this is a giant step forward.
Berman and Protass: A Saner Approach to Sentencing
'Mandatory minimum' laws need an overhaul. Congress is ready. Will the president make good on his promises?
By DOUGLAS A. BERMAN AND HARLAN PROTASS
There are few topics on which leading Democratic and Republican voices agree these days. But the recently introduced Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013—which would authorize federal judges to impose prison terms below statutory mandatory minimums in some cases—represents a new bipartisan effort at addressing America's overcrowded prisons and bloated budget. Passage of the act, though, will depend on President Obama and his Justice Department getting behind it.Friday, May 3, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Osler at Huffington Post
PS Ruckman posts Mark Oslers article on Presidential Clemency from Huffington Post
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
This article from USA Today is a bit disturbing.
While thousands of citizens are working businesses based on selling marijuana, there are still inmates serving sentences of Life without Parole for selling the same product.
Pot entrepreneurs have high expectations for a future market in legalized marijuana.
And, if luck and changing laws cooperate, they'll be drug barons of a certain kind.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
PAUL: Minimizing authority of judges - Washington Times
This piece in the Washington Times by Rand Paul should be welcomed by all who believe in civil bi-partisan cooperation. Eliminating mandatory minimums is a step toward criminal justice reform. It is fiscally responsible and speaks to civil liberties.
PAUL: Minimizing authority of judges - Washington Times
PAUL: Minimizing authority of judges - Washington Times
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Hemp and the Legacy of The Last Free Man in America
This is interesting and fun to read. It gives hope and humor. Thank you Johnathan Miller. I'll be checking back.
Hemp and the Legacy of The Last Free Man in America
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Created By:
The Murder of Mary Jane
This film will explore marijuana
prohibition, the current legal battle to legalize it, and U.S. citizens
serving life sentences for marijuana-related offenses.
Why I'm Making This Film
My name is Kim Markou. I am a freelance writer and producer. Four years ago I battled breast cancer. Refusing the chemotherapy and radiation, I decided to concentrate instead on diet, nutrition and natural THC, with great results. I found that even though marijuana has PROVEN medicinal qualities (U.S. Patent # 6630507), our government, steeped in hypocrisy and driven by money, corporate greed and the back room deals of big Pharm, has continued to prosecute and imprison fellow U.S. citizens, many like myself, who desire to treat themselves with a natural plant that contains anti-inflammatory and healing properties.Tuesday, March 26, 2013
This article in the NY Times talks about the use of marijuana by senior citizens. It's a sign of the times
Shuffleboard? Oh, Maybe Let’s Get High Instead
Michael F. McElroy for The New York Times
By ALYSON KRUEGER
Friday, March 22, 2013
The Drug Warriors Cashing In on Pot Prohibition | The Fix
This is a pretty good article about the revolving door between "Government Service" and private business opportunities for government contracts. It is a good argument for smaller more fiscally responsible government.
The Drug Warriors Cashing In on Pot Prohibition | The Fix
The Drug Warriors Cashing In on Pot Prohibition | The Fix
Monday, March 18, 2013
HIGHTIMES.COM | Pardoning Pot Prisoners
A new petition asks
High Times has spotlighted the Group Petition for Pardon for five non-violent marijuana offenders who received sentences of Life without Parole for selling marijuana. In the interest to fiscal responsibility and civil liberties, President Obama should grant these pardons. It's the right thing to do.
HIGHTIMES.COM | Pardoning Pot Prisoners
Saturday, March 9, 2013
This article by Vikrant P. Reddy and Marc A Levine from Right on Crime is worth the time it takes to read
The Conservative Case Against More Prisons
Higher incarceration rates aren't making us safer—and there are better, smaller-government alternatives.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Sen. Leahy: Sequester should halt federal marijuana raids - Washington Times
Could we actually be getting somewhere? If we are fiscally conservative and care about civil liberties we should legalize marijuana. Mass incarceration should not be our nations future.
Sen. Leahy: Sequester should halt federal marijuana raids - Washington Times
Sen. Leahy: Sequester should halt federal marijuana raids - Washington Times
A 14-year Pardon Application Process?
What happens to Clemency Applications? Very little. This is the sad story of the progress of a Clemency Application as it travels around the Justice Department.
A 14-year Pardon Application Process?
A 14-year Pardon Application Process?
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
This article from Mother Jones is just another story about government employee unions and their influence on mass incarceration.
It may be more comfortable for progressives to place the blame on conservatives, but the financial incentives for mass incarceration clearly belong to those who depend on paychecks for prisoners.
Big Labor's Lock 'Em Up Mentality
How otherwise progressive unions stand in the way of a more humane correctional system.
—By James Ridgeway and Jean Casella
| Fri Feb. 22, 2013 3:01 AM PST
Courtesty Tamms Year Ten
On
January 4, the Tamms Correctional Center, a supermax prison in southern
Illinois, officially closed its doors. Tamms, where some men had been
kept in solitary confinement for more than a decade, was notorious for its brutal treatment of prisoners with mental illness—and for driving sane prisoners to madness and suicide.The closure, by order of Gov. Pat Quinn, was celebrated by human rights and prison reform groups, and by the local activists who had fought for years to do away with what they saw as a torture chamber in their backyard. But it might have been accomplished sooner were it not for a competing progressive faction: Big Labor.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Justice Department can be smarter about sequester - The Hill's Congress Blog
Good article in The Hill's Congress Blog - Worth a read.
Justice Department can be smarter about sequester - The Hill's Congress Blog
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Barack the Unmerciful
It doesn't hurt to revisit this piece from Reason about Obam's Clemency. Seventeen more Pardons, still only one Commutation. Let's hope they are coming.
Barack the Unmerciful
Barack the Unmerciful
Friday, March 1, 2013
Anti-Marijuana Group Sucks at Messaging/Telling the Truth
There is probably some way to follow the money for this organization.
Anti-Marijuana Group Sucks at Messaging/Telling the Truth
Anti-Marijuana Group Sucks at Messaging/Telling the Truth
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