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November 14, 2013

Study: Over 3,200 Jailed for Life on Non-Violent Convictions 
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A new study from the American Civil Liberties Union has found that more
than 3,200 people nationwide are serving life terms without parole for
non-violent offenses. Of those prisoners, 80 percent are behind bars for
drug-related convictions. Sixty-five percent are African American, 18
percent are white, and 16 percent are Latino, evidence of what the ACLU
calls "extreme racial disparities." The crimes that led to life
sentences include stealing gas from a truck, shoplifting, possessing a
crack pipe, facilitating a $10 sale of marijuana, and attempting to cash
a stolen check. Sixty-three percent are in federal prisons and most were
sentenced under mandatory minimum laws. The ACLU says keeping
non-violent offenders behind bars for life is costing taxpayers an
additional $1.8 billion. The ACLU says: "In a humane society, we can
hold people accountable for drug and property crimes without throwing
away the key."

 

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