|
Washington
State
Bill
Would
Increase
Judge's
Discretion
in
Drug
Cases
3/12/99
The Washington State legislature
is expected to vote next week on a bill that would allow judges more discretion
in sentencing nonviolent drug offenders. House Bill 1006, introduced
by Republican Representative Ida Ballasiotes, enjoys broad support from
prosecutors, judges, and other lawmakers, and is widely expected to pass.
Ballasiotes told DRCNet the
bill's popularity stems from a growing disillusionment with the consequences
of harsh mandatory minimum sentences instituted in 1989. "The 'tough
on drugs' approach has held sway for the last ten years or so," she said.
"It hasn't worked well. And corrections is the fastest growing part
of our budget. So my point is, we have to work smarter with the resources
we have." Nonviolent drug offenders make up 25 percent of the state's
prison population.
House Bill 1006 will not
necessarily lower the penalties for drug offenses, but it will allow judges
to sentence some offenders to supervised drug rehabilitation programs instead
of jail. Ballasiotes said her bill speaks to practicalities that
beyond the "tough on crime" paradigm. "It's not a matter of getting
tough or being soft on crime. I don't think that's the issue at all.
There are ways to treat these people that are far less expensive, that
will have, I believe, a positive effect."
-- END --
|
Issue #82, 3/12/99
Announcements | Internet Campaign Convinces Congress to Condemn "Know Your Customer," Battle Not Yet Over | George Bush Jr. Hires Private Eye to Dig Up Own Past | Report: US Anti-Drug Forces Corrupted | Alaska Bill Introduced to Amend State's New Medical Marijuana Law | Drug Policy Campus Activism Conference | Washington State Bill Would Increase Judge's Discretion in Drug Cases | Judge Denies California AIDS Patient's Urgent Plea for Medical Marijuana | Federal Judge Allows Medical Marijuana Class Action Suit to Proceed, Questions Why Government Supplies Medical Marijuana to Some Patients, Not Others | Events | Online Petitions
|
This issue -- main page
This issue -- single-file printer version
Drug War Chronicle -- main page
Chronicle archives
|
PERMISSION to reprint or
redistribute any or all of the contents of Drug War Chronicle (formerly The Week Online with DRCNet is hereby
granted. We ask that any use of these materials include proper credit and,
where appropriate, a link to one or more of our web sites. If your
publication customarily pays for publication, DRCNet requests checks
payable to the organization. If your publication does not pay for
materials, you are free to use the materials gratis. In all cases, we
request notification for our records, including physical copies where
material has appeared in print. Contact: StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network,
P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 293-8340 (voice), (202)
293-8344 (fax), e-mail [email protected]. Thank
you.
Articles of a purely
educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of the DRCNet
Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
|
