How Prison Overcrowding Could Help You

Posted on May 23, 2008
Filed Under Criminal Law, Law, Laws, News, Theft, Three Strikes, misdemeanor |

The state of California has a massive prison overcrowding problem, due in part to the nation’s “war on drugs” and the state’s Three Strike laws.  Laws and policies such as these can often put non-violent offenders in jail for long periods of time, even as their crimes would barely warrant parole in other states.  As a result, California currently has almost 200,000 people in jail and this has created not only an overcrowding problem, but a major budget crisis as well.

As politicians tackle this issue, a few different options being explored to solve this issue involve releasing current prisoners and/or handling lower level and non-violent offences differently than before.  For example, any low risk offense such as failing a drug test would no longer be handed a prison sentence, rather drug treatment and possible house arrest would be handed down.

Prisoners who embrace rehabilitation including drug and alcohol treatment, gaining a high school or college diploma or even involvement in community service projects would be highly beneficial in avoiding jail time in California.  Obviously major offenses such as murder, attempted murder, rape and other crimes wouldn’t be affected by the current climate in California.  However, if you’re charged with a misdemeanor, a minor drug offense, petty theft or another crime that isn’t violent or considered doing “major” harm, this plan could help keep you out of prison.

If you’ve been arrested or accused of a crime, consult your attorney and see if these new development affect you.

Written by Joe M

Comments

Leave a Reply