As you know, non-violent drug users are not put in jail. A fact you should know is that drug courts got their beginning here in Florida.
Mr. Markle you simple do not know what you are talking about in regard to the drug courts. My daughter prosecuted for two years in drug court, and almost half the people did not even qualify, and the vop petitions put most of what remained in jail..........the drug war is an utter failure and our jails are FULL of repeat non violent drug users.
Drug Offenders
Nearly half of all federal prisoners are serving prison sentences for drugs.
(Federal Bureau of Prisons)
In 2012, drug offenders made up about one third of the federal criminal case load.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Figure A)
In 2012 alone, over 23,000 people were sent to federal prison for a drug offense.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Table 12)
Each year, about 60 percent of all federal drug offenders are subject to a mandatory minimum sentence.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Table 43)
In 2012, almost 7,000 people were convicted in federal courts for marijuana offenses, more than for any other type of drug.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Table 33)
In 2012, over half of all convicted federal drug offenders have little or no criminal record.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Table 37)
In 2012, only 15 percent of all federal drug offenders had a weapon involved in the offense.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Table 39)
In 2012, only 6.6 percent of all federal drug offenders were considered leaders of a drug conspiracy.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Table 40)
About one in every five state prisoners is serving time for a drug offense.
(Bureau of Justice Statistics)
Length of Incarceration and Lack of Alternatives
The average federal prison sentence is 9.5 years.
(Testimony of Charles E. Samuels, Jr., Director of Federal Bureau of Prisons)
In 2012, the average federal prison sentence for a drug offender was almost 6 years.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Table 13)
In 2012, the average federal prison sentence for a crack cocaine offender is about 8 years.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Figure J)
In 2012, the average federal prison sentence for a methamphetamine offender is over 7.5 years.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Figure J)
In 2012, 90 percent of all federal offenders received a sentence of imprisonment; only 10 percent received probation or home confinement.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Figure D)
In 2012, 96.5 percent of all federal drug offenders received prison sentences.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Table 12)
Drug Courts produce cost savings ranging from $3,000 to $13,000 per client. These cost savings reflect reduced prison costs, reduced revolving-door arrests and trials, and reduced victimization.
(National Association of Drug Court Professionals)
Nationwide, for every $1.00 invested in Drug Court, taxpayers save as much as $3.36 in avoided criminal justice costs alone.
(National Association of Drug Court Professionals)
Nationwide, 75% of Drug Court graduates remain arrest-free at least two years after leaving the program.
(National Association of Drug Court Professionals)
Application and Impact of Mandatory Minimums
In 2012, 23 percent of federal drug offenders faced a mandatory minimum but did not receive it because they provided “substantial assistance” to the prosecution, commonly known as snitching.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Table 44)
In 2012, 23.8 percent of federal drug offenders faced a mandatory minimum but did not receive it because they qualified for the drug “safety valve” for nonviolent, low-level, first-time offenders.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2012 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, Table 44)
In 2010, 10,694 individuals were sentenced to mandatory minimums in federal courts, including:
7,212 for drug offenses
2,222 for gun offenses
805 for child pornography offenses
673 for identity theft offenses
322 for sex abuse offenses.
This total – 10,694 individuals – represents 14.5 percent of all federal offenders sentenced in FY 2010.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission Report to Congress: Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System)
Hispanic offenders also account for the largest group of offenders (38.3%, n=7,601) convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty. Blacks are the next largest group, at 31.5 percent (n=6,261), followed by White offenders (27.4%, n=5,447) and Other Race offenders (2.7%, n=543). United States citizens account for 73.6 percent (n=14,639) of those offenders convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty. More than 90 percent (90.3%, n=17,975) of the offenders were men.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission Report to Congress: Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System)
Almost 32% of people receiving a mandatory minimum sentence had little or no criminal record.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission Report to Congress: Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System)
Hispanic offenders benefit most often from the safety valve; Black offenders benefit least often.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission Report to Congress: Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System)
Mandatory minimum sentences may actually motivate people to go to trial. According to the Commission, 94.1% of those convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum pled guilty, while 97.5% of the offenders not facing a mandatory minimum pled guilty. The Commission also found that “the longer the mandatory minimum penalty an offender faces, the less likely he or she is to plead guilty.”
(U.S. Sentencing Commission Report to Congress: Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System)
United States citizens accounted for 73.6 percent of all offenders convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty.
(U.S. Sentencing Commission Report to Congress: Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System)
Public safety
All 17 states that cut their imprisonment rates over the past decade also experienced a decline in crime rates.
(Pew Center on the States)
Public opinion
84% of Americans believe that some of the money that we are spending on locking up low-risk, non-violent inmates should be shifted to strengthening community corrections programs like probation and parole.
(Pew Center on the States)
77% of Americans support eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders.
(Reason-Rupe Public Opinion Survey)
http://famm.org/the-facts-with-sources/
Home
