Human Rights Watch (HRW) has a disturbing report alleging the U.S. government essentially forces drug defendants to either plead guilty or rot in prison for an insane amount of time.
In the report, called "An Offer You Can't Refuse," HRW looks into the unsettling reasons why a whopping 97% of federal drug defendants plead guilty and never go to trial.
Here's how prosecutors generally get those guilty pleas, according to the report. Prosecutors often charge drug defendants with crimes that carry high mandatory minimum sentences — meaning judges will have to mete out harsh sentences if they're found guilty.
(Attorney General Eric Holder recently ordered prosecutors to stop charging defendants in a way that triggers mandatory minimums, but his directive doesn't apply to all drug defendants. Holder's policy may also go away with a new administration.)
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Most of these folks are indeed guilty so no problem with them taking (being forced) to take plea deals. The problem is the selective prosecution of low hanging fruit (street level dealers) while they never seem to get to arresting the ones importing this stuff into the country in the first place.
ReplyDeleteGotta keep the corporate prison buddies supplied with by-the-heat meat.
ReplyDeleteThey HAVE to jail someone, so they go for the lowest guy on the rung. They don't have very good lawyers and can't ruin your career. Otherwise, they would be busting Coast Guard commanders, Immigration commanders, Police, Congressman, and bankers. THESE are the guys making sure the drugs get through and the ones taking payoffs to make sure it DOES get through. You think Sharkeisha is coming up with $20 million dollars for a tanker full of pot? Supply and demand baby --- there has NEVER EVER been a law passed or enforced that could counter that immutable concept.
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