Comments on: Prisons: Presidential Pressure

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:13:01 +0000

An observation on the first guest post on Tuesday’s article about prisons. While it is correct that prosecution & prison sentencing proceeds much more vigorously against people of color, it is most definitly not correct to state that charges which have no relationship to the incident (called not applicable by the poster)are filed against someone by the police or district attorney. There must be a basis for filing charges against someone in court. It must be what is refered to as a “true bill” The police cannot make up charges and file them.Even if they could or did, the preliminary hearing is all about finding out if there is sufficient evidence to hear the charges in court and render a judgement based on the facts in the possession of the prosecution at the time of the hearing. That being so, the playing field in court is definitly not even. Anyoine with sufficient money and legal clout will get a much better deal whatever their color. Interestingly, these same observations apply to women facing charges. There are studies that show women receive harser sentences than males when they are convicted. While I do not wish to put forward the cliche that a public defender is somehow less able than a pricey attorney paid for by a rich defendant, The fact is that public defenders have fewer resources alloted to each case than do private attorneys who bill by the quarter hour. So it ultimately plays out the way it always does, the money money you have, the more “justice” you get and who controls most of the money in this country? White males for the most part.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:33:00 +0000

For decades Civil Rights leaders have preached about the injustices in the penal system in America, but it has fallen on deaf ears. The racial mix in the system should be reflective of the population, but is not because crime is viewed differently when an individual is White. In North Carolina they searched for the Black man that Susan Smith said killed her boys; the plain clothes officers were acquitted after shooting 41 rounds into unarmed Amadou Diallo; and the Vietnamese boy was returned by the police to his murderer Jeffrey Dahmer despite being naked and covered in blood. Young white boys who shoot up schools and bring rifles and bombs to schools are still not profiled as potential killers, but 9 year old black boys who shoot rifles in the air that end with a victim dying is tried as an adult for murder. Three things must happen, the fear and the threat of African Americans and Latinos must end; discriminatory policies and enforcement laws must change; and the penal system must be reformed, accordingly.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:23:45 +0000

This is a legal tactic and avenue to bestow discrimination on minorities in large proportions. It starts at the local level with police throwing as many charges against the accused whether it is applicable or not. This way they ensure the accused is held on some charge whether it is applicable or not. This uduslly ranges from the most severe, a felony to a misdemeanor. It is atrocious the way these so called “upholders of the law” implement charges against innocent and/or unsuspecting people. Nothing will change unless we as a collective group stand up and fight for change. The time is now if we are to save our children from a system that has no problem with incarcerating 10 year olds for throwing a rock at another child and calling it “assault with a deadly weapon” Wake up people, don’t wait for it to happen to your loved one. Let’s organize and protest against this overt form of discrimination. You know, It’s really ironic that the very people complaining about the economy and the money being spent to help improove the economy accept the hundreds of millions of dollars in the judicial and penal system perfectly acceptable. Remember, if there children get into trouble they can call their judge friend or buy their child’s freedom. It’s all around you, look at the Paris Hiltons and Lindsay Lohans. Remember the old sayings “money talks” and “it’s not what you know but who you know”. That will never change. We must make a stance before it is too late.