Monthly Archives: June 2011

The Justice Policy Institute has released a new report: Gaming the System: How the Political Strategies of Private Prison Companies Promote Ineffective Incarceration Policies It’s clear that the prison industry sees the drug war as something important to their bottom … Continue reading →

Via press release from the Drug Policy Alliance Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) will introduce bi-partisan legislation tomorrow, June 23, ending the federal war on marijuana and letting states legalize, regulate, tax, and control marijuana without … Continue reading →

The tortured analogy is a device used by the ignorant (or those preaching to the ignorant) usually in an attempt to make something sound bad by fabricating a non-existent comparability to something horrific. Example: “Serving on that committee is like … Continue reading →

If you don’t already follow/support Americans for Forfeiture Reform, you should. Our asset forfeiture systems in this country are a total disgrace, full of corruption, and essentially a “legalized” system of highway robbery, allowing government entities to take cash and … Continue reading →

Gilbert Police Storm Home, Seize Two Ounces of Marijuana From Card-Holding Medical Pot Patient. Really. Twenty Gilbert police officers, some in masks and riot gear, stormed a home last week after receiving a tip that the owner was in possession … Continue reading →

Indian Court overturns mandatory death penalty for drug offences 16 June 2011, Mumbai: In an unprecedented decision, the Bombay High Court struck down the mandatory death penalty for drug offences, becoming the first Court in the world to do so. … Continue reading →

I just finished spending a year organizing events related to the 40th Anniversary of an organization that’s important to me. The fact that it was the 40th was really a random milestone, but it was an excuse to celebrate, to … Continue reading →

The ACLU has a good series of graphics on our incarceration nation. Here are a couple of them: As someone who works in higher education and has seen the reductions in tax support while prisons keep opening, this graphic has … Continue reading →

A powerful song and video via Reason TV:

The excellent Peter Moskos points out the absurdity of our criminal justice system by suggesting we bring back the whip. Suggest adding the whipping post to America’s system of criminal justice and most people recoil in horror. But offer a … Continue reading →