"Governor Crist wants to maintain drug penalties"
Perry Thurston Victor Crist
MIAMI HERALD:
"The state's prison population is expected to swell at year's end to a record 100,000, about 20 percent of whom are non-violent drug offenders convicted of crimes such as trafficking and simple possession.
And some legislators have wondered aloud and in private how the state can afford to pay for it now that Florida's economy is sagging and crime is rising. It costs more than $19,000 a year to lock up an inmate, not counting the millions it will cost to build two prisons per year through 2013 to keep up with prison-population growth.
While no legislator has filed a bill to decriminalize drug laws outright, the Senate and House are considering measures that allow some inmates early and supervised work release, that establish a commission to review mandatory-minimum prison sentences -- a legacy of the drug war -- and that lessen penalties for driving with a suspended license.
But (Governor) Crist said he wants to keep the laws the way they are. ''It's important to make sure that we do what the first order of business is, and that is to ensure domestic tranquility -- make sure that our people are safe -- and that means locking up bad people,'' he said.
What about nonviolent drug offenders?
''I feel that our laws are good in Florida. They were thoughtfully put in place. And I know there is a budget crunch. But I don't want to sacrifice public safety,'' Crist said.
Plantation Democratic Rep. Perry Thurston said the Legislature is not yet ready for decriminalization, but he noted his Republican colleagues are slowly starting to realize that too many people are being locked away and they're changing their minds about being tough on certain crimes.
Tampa Sen. Victor Crist -- a Republican who's not related to the governor and chairs the senate's criminal-justice appropriations committee -- said locking up drug users costs society and the state too much money, and it doesn't work.
''That's the old way; throw a drug addict in jail. But now we know treatment works, it's better and it's cheaper,'' Sen. Crist said. ``If you're a violent criminal, you belong in a cell. If you're a drug addict, you belong in a rehab program...
While the state senator said he hasn't used illegal drugs, the governor acknowledged he had. Asked if he ever used marijuana, Crist said ``Yeah."
"Domestic Tranquility"? while thousands of petty drug offenders and mentally ill languish in overpopulated jails that we can't afford to pay for, and we still don't have enough jails to house them? Man, there are some severely mentally handicapped legislators out there. Maybe they should be locked up too!
Good video. What's the message? Or is it what I think it is?
Could these guys in the State Capitol have it any more wrong? I doubt it. And I thought Browrard was screwed up.
"these guys" you refer too are the republican majority
Sorry Bill to answer your question "non violent" drug offenders are bad people.
Most to none dont work so how do they buy their drugs? They steal.
Sorry the "non violent" drug offender who steals a kids bicycle off the front porch in the middle of the night is a bad person. Just because he didnt do a home invasion means he gets a pass.
They steal. Give me a break. Great standard answer from 1936.
And what about the chicken and the egg aspect?
If they are cured of addiction, will they as you say still need to steal?
Prison is the answer? Where they dope up the whole time they are there until being released back to the community with a drug habit without the benefit of 3 squares a day?
Was that picture taken of Thurston when he was twelve or was it just airbrushed to oblivion?
Our Drug Laws are ARCAIC, as well as our FAILED WAR ON DRUGS! Just feeds the PRISON MACINE AND MONEY MAKER! Time for change!! Go to www.leap.cc LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST PROHIBITION. Very interesting site!!
Non violent drug offenders cram pack our jails, Supreme Court Justices call for an end to the incarceration of the mentally ill; study after study shows rehab is more effective and costs less, and we still have in use outdated filing policies creating the problem in the first place. What gives?
neither political party is going to looses drug law or sentencing because they don't want it thrown back at them if one in a million kill someone or committ a major crime aka willy horton
amazing what a little makeup will do for both
Many states are trying to do something different with non violent drug offenders. shouldn't Florida try the same thing. There could be 100,000 more people addicted to prescription drugs in Florida that could end up in jail instead of drug rehab