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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,538
[MS] Drug offenders fill state’s jails ‘It’s everywhere you turn’
    #13378634 - 10/24/10 12:27 AM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Drug offenders fill state’s jails ‘It’s everywhere you turn’
October 23, 2010 - SunHerald.com

Cocaine-related offenses were the most common reason people did time in Mississippi Department of Corrections custody in 2009.

Drug-related crimes also topped the list of offenses for convicts in MDOC custody in the same calender year from the southern most counties of Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, Stone, George and Pearl River counties, according to a Sun Herald analysis of 2009 MDOC inmate offense data.

“I’d have been surprised by anything else,” said Don Cabana, warden at the Harrison County jail and former superintendent of the Mississippi State Penitentiary, commonly referred to as Parchman. “I think most people think these places are filled with people who commit murder or rape or armed robberies. We’ve been fighting this so-called war on drugs for three-plus decades now, and honestly, I don’t think we are any better off today than we were then.”

Cabana and other South Mississippi law enforcement officials are right on target when they say most criminal offenses that lead to actual jail time, house arrest, probation and parole, are drug-related.

“Four or five decades ago, people would talk about drugs and it was an inner-city problem,” Cabana said. “It doesn’t matter. You can be in the most rural high school with 20 people in the class, and 17 of them are familiar with drugs before they leave….

“Except for violent crimes of passion, the vast majority of crimes are drug connected. It’s everywhere you turn. It’s indicative of our society today. We feed off of feeling good, getting high to escape reality or to avoid dealing with everyday life. We may be the most indulgent society in recent history.”

It’s unclear if cocaine-related convictions topped the list of South Mississippi offenses in 2009 because MDOC data does not specify the drug, but law enforcement officials speculate it is.

State justice moves slowly

“When someone faces a charge in the federal system, in six months they are indicted, convicted and are going to prison,” said Curtis Spiers, commander of the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County. “When we arrest somebody, it may be two or three years before they get to trial.”

State charges take much longer to make it through the system because it’s already overwhelmed with cases. As a result, local prosecutors say many of the cases end up in pleas.

Harrison County prosecutor Charlie Wood said measures are in place to try to keep drug suspects locked up. He said judges usually revoke bond on the first charge if a suspect released on bail is arrested again.

In most first-time simple drug-possession cases, Wood said, prosecutors usually recommend probation. They try get jail time for those found guilty of selling drugs. For young offenders, prosecutors are turning more and more to alternative sentencing, ordering those who qualify to complete the rigorous multi-year Drug Court program. In Drug Court, offenders are required to remain drug-free, attend Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and perform community service, among other things.

“It doesn’t surprise me that drug cases are the No. 1 category of convictions,” Wood said. “On any given day, that’s mostly what’s on our (court) docket. I’d say the larger number of cases are drug-related.”

Playing the system

Still, South Mississippi law enforcement officials say many offenders sentenced to jail time know how to play the system. They do whatever they must, such as being on their best behavior and completing internal drug- and alcohol-abuse programs, to earn early release.

“I’ve been strictly working in narcotics since 1998,” said Troy Peterson, head of the Harrison County Narcotics Unit. “I can tell you right now of 25 to 30 people we’ve arrested six-plus times who have never served more than two years. They get put on probation, violate the probation and go back to jail.

“They get out and are back in business. The judges can only do so much. The prosecutors can only do so much. It’s the system, and it probably never will get fixed. There’s just so much leeway when it comes to narcotics and what people don’t understand is that narcotics is the main nexus for just about every crime that happens in Mississippi and any other state.”

Spiers agreed, saying his agents routinely arrest drug offenders again and again.

“Our job is to make good cases and arrest drug dealers,” Spiers said. “That’s what we get paid to do. It’s up to the courts and prosecutors to decide how much time these criminals get. I agree; it needs to change. I tell my agents, ‘If you are disappointed in the sentence, then go to school and become a lawyer or judge.’ While we may not like some of the sentences handed down, we are going to continue to do what we do.”

While crack cocaine was the drug of choice for years in South Mississippi, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Director Marshall Fisher said earlier this year meth arrests statewide far surpassed cocaine arrests in 2009.

MBN statistics show 98 meth arrests and 506 meth labs seized in 2009 compared with 637 meth arrests and 300 meth labs seized in 2008. In the same period, MBN statistics show cocaine arrests dropped from 834 to 608 arrests statewide.

In the future, South Mississippi law enforcement officials and prosecutors expect to see more people serving time on meth-related offenses, which are slowly starting to creep through the state court system.

However, they expect to eventually see fewer inmates serving time for meth-related charges because of a state law requiring a prescription to obtain pseudoephedrine — a key ingredient in meth manufacturing.

“The law has already led to a 75-percent reduction in meth-related arrests,” Spiers said. “But the flip side of that is that prescription drug abuse has went through the roof. People are going out-of-state doctor shopping and getting scripts from these so-called pill mills. They’re coming back to Mississippi to sell them.”

Spice problems

“Spice” is a form of synthetic marijuana, which convenience stores had begun selling as an herbal incense. People were buying it, rolling it and smoking it like marijuana.

Jackson County authorities were among the first to do something about the synthetic marijuana, with Jackson County District Attorney Tony Lawrence spearheading efforts to get it banned in stores. Other cities and counties soon followed. State lawmakers in September passed legislation banning the sale or possession of Spice.

“There is absolutely a war on drugs still going on,” Spiers said. “As long as there is a demand for drugs in the United States, someone is going to find a way to get it here.”

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OfflineI AM SWIM
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Re: [MS] Drug offenders fill state’s jails ‘It’s everywhere you turn’ [Re: veggie]
    #13379306 - 10/24/10 07:25 AM (13 years, 6 months ago)

sweeeeet

now ppl can murder and rape cuz the jails are filled up



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Offlineadamantasaurus
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Re: [MS] Drug offenders fill state’s jails ‘It’s everywhere you turn’ [Re: I AM SWIM]
    #13379590 - 10/24/10 09:46 AM (13 years, 6 months ago)

I know of someone who got arrested with like 30 bucks of coke and got locked up for 2 years he was just a college kid too, not a criminal or anything this is such bullshit!!! we need to rise and put this crazy drug war to an end

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OfflineJohnP
Why?
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Registered: 08/07/06
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Re: [MS] Drug offenders fill state’s jails ‘It’s everywhere you turn’ [Re: adamantasaurus]
    #13381150 - 10/24/10 04:48 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

agreeed. safety in numbers, and we all know there's A LARGE NUMBER of people that could be standing up together who use drugs other than alcohol and tobacco defending the right do so.

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OfflineAsAboveSoBelow
The matrix has you


Registered: 02/06/08
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Re: [MS] Drug offenders fill state’s jails ‘It’s everywhere you turn’ [Re: JohnP]
    #13381316 - 10/24/10 05:15 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

this article pisses me off.. not once do they entertain the notion that ending prohibition and focusing on more violent crime just MIGHT be a better option.

Nope! Just build more prisons! lock em all up! Pray that the good prosecutors send those dirty drug fiends away for as long as possible!:whatever:


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You're gonna get hurt real bad :smile:

They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind

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OfflineI AM SWIM
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Registered: 12/24/08
Posts: 9,999
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Re: [MS] Drug offenders fill state’s jails ‘It’s everywhere you turn’ [Re: adamantasaurus]
    #13381353 - 10/24/10 05:20 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Quote:

adamantasaurus said:
I know of someone who got arrested with like 30 bucks of coke and got locked up for 2 years he was just a college kid too





how many more possible carl sagans are we gonna lock up?







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Offlinescreamphilling
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Registered: 05/30/08
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Re: [MS] Drug offenders fill state’s jails ‘It’s everywhere you turn’ [Re: I AM SWIM]
    #13381917 - 10/24/10 07:18 PM (13 years, 6 months ago)

Mississippi and North Carolina are the only states in the South that have decriminalized pot.  I find it funny the article failed to mention that.

By no means is that solving much, but still...

I'm about 30 mins from the Mississippi border and 30 mins away from not being arrested for my pot.  Oh well.

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