More Than 3000 Americans Are Facing Life In Prison For Nonviolent Offenses

More than 3,000 people in our country are facing life in prison, without the possibility of parole, for nonviolent crimes. Many of them are locked up in states in which these harsh sentences are mandatory, and judges had no discretion in determining the length of their sentences. You may think that only the worst offenders could face such a tragic fate, but some of these inmates were locked away for stealing clothing, possessing drug paraphernalia, or having trace amounts of narcotics on themselves or their belongings. In addition to being overly harsh, these extreme sentences cost our nation nearly $2 billion dollars a year just to keep these nonviolent offenders behind bars. The ACLU issued a report on these unjust sentences, and they argue that it doesn't have to be this way. The report states that there are many alternatives to locking someone away for drug related offenses, and that these mandatory life sentences should be abolished. Someone should not spend their life behind bars because of petty theft, or drug addiction, and tax payers shouldn't be spending billions to impose these immoral sentences.