This will probably sound like a record skipping, but many penalties that are levied against drug offenders are simply absurd. They do not match the offense in question, and it leads many people to wonder why our laws and policies are set up in a way to excessively punish people who commit non-violent acts that minimally infringe -- or don't infringe at all -- on public safety.
Bringing college to jail cells helps criminals reform themselves
How would you feel if people who were in jail or prison were given a college education during their time behind bars? Keep in mind, this won't exactly be the college experience that everyone has come to know. There wouldn't be a huge Inmate Tech vs. Prison Guards A&M game on the second Saturday in October.
Mentally ill inmates outnumber mentally ill patients 10-to-1
A new report by the Treatment Advocacy Center shows that the American prison system has an astonishing number of mentally ill people in it, and it begs the question why these people are in jail and probably not getting the care that they need. According to the figures, there are more than 356,000 mentally ill people in prison, while there are only 35,000 mentally ill people in mental hospitals. What's more is that 44 states and the District of Colombia have at least one prison with more mentally ill people than the largest mental hospital in their state.
Are rap lyrics evidence enough to convict someone of a crime?
In 2007, two people were killed and the police were stumped. They had little evidence, no witnesses and not a single suspect. The case had gone cold, and for years it lay dormant. But then in 2011, a rapper from the area by the name of Twain Gotti -- whose real name is Antwain Steward -- released a song with lyrics that were ominous, though vague. The lyrics alluded to the possibility that Twain Gotti killed someone and got away with it.
