Why do drug dealers and addicts get mandatory sentences, but rapists and murderes do not?

Question

The prisons are overcrowded with drug dealers and users. But murderers and rapists are often parolled if they get sentenced at all. Our judicial system sucks.

Answer 1

Because the ACLU protests for "prisoner's rights" for some reason.

Even when they DON'T get out on parole, which they most certainly do, they have cable TV and workout facilities in the prisons.

Prison is better than most of their houses. Why wouldn't they want to come back???

Answer 2

That is a very overbroad statement. Yes, drug dealers and users are in jail, however, they are usually caught in the act for doing something stupid enough to get caught. Do you have any idea how hard it is to prove rape?
First of all, the rapist is hardly ever someone outside of the family. Therefore, the victim usually recants. Without the testimony of the victim, there is no case there. Signs of a rape are gone in 72 hours, and not everyone reports it right away due to the shame the feel from being so violated. A rape kit, the test kit they use on rape victims, take 5 years to get back because each state has an average of 3 people that processes the rape kit for the whole state. Most jurors look at the women and say that they provoked it and deserved the rape because on average, women are still seen as knowingly provacative. That is why there is the Rape Sheild Law - so that the victim's sexual past does not come into the court room unless it involves the accused rapist.
Now, on to murder. Most murders are started as missing person cases. If there is no body and no murderer to confess, you don't have a case. So, say you have a confession, but no corpus delcti. Then you have to build your case around circumstantial evidence. Circumstantial evidence can only take you so far when it comes to proving your case. Well, now they have a body, but no witnesses, no confession, and it took so long to find the body that there is no DNA evidence to work with. So, how do you catch that murderer and prove that case?
You say our judicial system sucks, however, do you even work in a legal field or in criminal justice? If you did, then you would know how difficult it is for these people to get everything they need to try and convict a rapist and murderer. It is much harder to catch them in the act because they aren't in the open like dealers and users are. Try taking on a rape case or a murder case yourself and see if you can do any better if you think it sucks so bad. If you don't like something, change it. However, I don't think you can change reality to make it easier to catch the rapists and murderers.

Answer 3

I think the first Bush administration back in the 80's tried to have a crackdown on drugs cause of all the crack getting so popular and causing problems in cities. I believe that it was then that MMS - Mandatory Minimum Sentences for drug crimes came to pass. So the judge could think you were the greatest person in the world but would have -0- leeway when it came time to sentence you.

Some 18 year old kid in my high school got a mandatory 10 year sentence for his first offense, cocaine trafficking. It was a lot of coke, between 225-600 grams but in my opinion he was just being an idiot kid and was not a real big time dealer. He tried to escape from prison once and got another year tacked onto his sentence. Finally someone with half a brain somewhere paroled him about 3-4 years into it.

Answer 4

Spending 20 months in a female prison has shown me that at least 90 percent are in there for drugs and DWI's and a few child crimes. I was in there for forgery and sent by the state of Okla-coma, where prisons are their industry. Yes, it was very crowded and if you wanted drugs they were in there too. Just a small - small percent received any drug treatment of any kind. You have to ask yourself - should we just warehouse these people until they reach parole or they have completed their sentence, are should they be dumped back into society and the only thing they learned was how to commit a crime without getting caught? People just don't get it. When you are released from prison, you are a felon and in turn you can't find a decent job to support your family, so then you go to the same state that put you in prison and ask for help. Food Stamps -etc.,
Your life will never be the same again as you once knew it. The system suks, but you know, there was more respect in prison than I've ever seen on the outside. In prison, all you have is your word. People think all prisons have TV and air conditioning and work out equipment.... well your wrong, they all don't have these luxuarys. The Federal prisons do, your tax dollars are giving them pretty much what they have at home, but state prisons. If you want to eat things that are labeled "For inmate consumption only," then go break the law in some po-dunk town in Okla-coma and you will see things that you really can't believe your eyes! I did my crime and did my time. But, it's not the end of the world for me, and I'm blessed with a family that loves me and I'm going back to school to finish my Masters degree in January in Behavioral Science and then on to becoming a licensed counselor. In the state of Okla-coma you can become a counselor but you can't be a cosmotologist! Some of the old laws need to be changed. And unless you stand up and fight for change, it will all remain the same.

Answer 5

Every crime and criminal is judged according. As such some murderers or rapists may be able to either convince the sentencing judge that they are remorseful etc., like some people involved in the drug trade. Others are made examples of while others dress inappropriate for before the judge. As well a lot of the time it is merely what the person responsible for the sentencing believes, which in itself should be a crime. Myself I believe that there should be mandatory sentencing for all offenses and if a person is a habitual criminal that he should be sentenced as such.

Answer 6

In my opinion, the mandatories are there because the government can't gain power to uphold the very laws they created.. Everyone knows how illegal using and selling is, but the profits and power are too inviting and extremely large to just "say no". Even cops and lawyers......judges even, have been busted selling or using. So with the mandatory sentencing, the government is trying to make the consequences just as huge, know what I mean? Sell drugs.........live your life behimd bars.......a choice everyone has to make some time or another I'm sure.

Answer 7

There are particularly situations whilst a drug broking would acquire an prolonged sentence than a rapist, yet no longer a murderer. in spite of if it relatively is by using fact society continues to be male ruled or another reason, rape isn't taken care of the way it relatively is going to be by making use of the criminal justice gadget. Rapists ought to acquire life in penitentiary. people who commit much less severe homicides like manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide commonly acquire softer sentences than drug sellers by using fact of mandatory minimums. Judges commonly have flexibility whilst it includes sentencing on violent crimes, yet they do no longer on drug offenses. it is not area of the sentencing technique yet many violent offenders have won early launch by using fact the gadget has to make room for those offenders who've mandatory sentences. it relatively is quite annoying by using fact drug sellers would not exist with out the regulation. Violent criminals will join society regardless of differences to the regulation.

Answer 8

It is because the US Government has had a long-term campaign to convince people that drug use is even more dangerous than murder and rape. At one time, the US Official Expert on marijuana testified in court, under oath, that marijuana would make your incisors grow six inches long and drip with blood. In other words, they believed that marijuana could turn you into a vampire.

The whole thing was patently ridiculous, but it continues to this day. You can read a funny history of the subject at http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/whiteb1.htm

You can see more examples of Reefer Madness through the ages at http://druglibrary.org/mags/reefermadness.htm

Don't accept answers from anyone who can't give you references. Most people don't know the first thing about the subject.

Answer 9

because the government cant make money off of murderers and rapists but drug dealers and users can have thier property seized more drug dealers and users in jail is a chance for those police agencys to get more money for seized property therefore they have to release those prisoners they are not making money off of to make room for those they can make money off of

Answer 10

In a election (or leading up to one) the gov has to show the public that they are still fighting the war on drugs and winning.Alot of numbers and stats are tossed around then they play a kick'en game of ping pong.