What are the laws for ny state for felony on drug possession and so forth? and why doesn't the system provide a better and manditory drug rehab for convicted felons instead of just throwing them away? we, the tax payers have to pay for them to sit in prison, why not put our money into trying to correct the problem?  Prison makes the problem worse!
201150
Most drug offenders who are sent to prison are either convicted of Class B offenses (e.g. the sale of any amount of cocaine, regardless of how small) or are second felony offenders convicted of offenses in Classes B-E. The Drug Law Reform Act commendably expands the sentencing options for a first-time Class B offense to include a split sentence of prison and probation. But the lowest sentence that could be imposed on a second felony offender convicted of a Class B felony is a sentence of two and one-half to five years in prison, unless the offender is eligible for diversion to a substance abuse treatment program. In many cases, such a prison sentence would be excessive, yet the Act does not permit a shorter sentence. Nor does it permit alternatives to incarceration for offenders who are not addicted and do not qualify for substance abuse treatment programs. \n\nIf mandatory prison terms are to be retained, the Act should be amended to further reduce the minimum sentences, giving judges a wider sentencing range from which to select the appropriate sentence.
134556
The Governor from your State has to grant it for you. I have known of narcs getting that done to clear their records in my State. My City has a prosecutor that is a Republican felon. He was able to get the Governor to pardon him somehow, it was snitching everybody says.
73296
It would help curb *senseless* crime if it were actually used when it should be. What kills me is the "life without parole" sentences - if that prisoner can never be rehabilitated, what use is (s)he?
434672
It's illegal, period.  You use it, sell it, have it in your possession, etc, and get caught, you are going to prison.
136386
I'm a liberal and I'll take this one step further - Let the victim (or the victims family) choose the punishment. \n\nI get the first 2 (murder and theft) but not the third one. Drugs and war? A more logical one would be to work for free (community service) in a rehab clinic. \n\nThe reason we in the US have so much crime is because we have so many rights. With great freedom comes great responsibility. Most Americans can't handle the responsibility.
516023
A class 4 felony is low; I doubt a theft (stealing without trespassing, shoplifting, force or coercion)  grand or small would land someone in prison.  Justice is blind, and that is supposed to be a good thing.  Violations (speeding, domestics, disturbance of the peace etc) do not go an ones permanent record.  \n\nHow did your friend violate the Pawnbrokers Act?  My guess is did not get a license to open up shop, so that means he failed to pay $60 for the license and did not provide the $2000 deposit to the town government.  Did he open another shop?  That would be another way to violate the act, by setting up a monopoly on the collateral business.     \n\nIn any case, it sounds like he won't go to jail.  He won't go to prison no matter what (prison, is for sentences beyond 1 or 2 years depending on the state or province)  I see a misdemeanor - contempt of court - and a suspended sentence based on that.
30265
Some of the things that our Justice System does never ceases to amaze me.  I have sat through many court hearings and it always surprises me that many violent offenders would get probation and the non violent or victimless crimes had the book thrown at them.  The whole system needs to be looked at and have some real changes made to it.  We have too many repeat offenders on the streets and not nearly enough people who have committed a violent crime behind bars protecting society.  Our government's war on drugs may have something to do with prosecuter's and judge's thinking when it come to those kind of crimes, because statisticly it will look like we are really cracking down on the problem, when in fact we really are getting no place with it.  Fact is drug users will probably find it easier to score while in prison than on the streets.  Nobody wants a prison or jail in their neighborhood,yet with our growing population we need more of them to fit our needs.  There will always be a portion of the population that is not going to play by the rules and be in trouble.  Those that we need to change is the Prrosecuting Attorney who makes all the deals and the Judge's that accept them.  These people are elected officials and if they do not act as we need we can vote them out.  You will find that one individual has a lot more clout in local county political races and can do a lot more by constantly working on the local level.  You can take a whole state by taking it one county at a time.  You will be surprised by how many people one voice can affect, you started by asking the question now take it a step further.
555209
why is it my B.S. sensors are going off right now?\n\nFederal law requires a signature when picking up presciptions....ESPECIALLY narcotics. They also require the person selling the medication to either personally know who it is they are giving it to or ID them if they don't. Most states require ID to be documented for all narcotic purchases, even when selling it to your mother.\n\nSo who's lying?
297205
I absolutely agree with all of these comments.  It is sickening to think of someone abusing animals!  It is so so terrible.  But, cottonpatch was right - the states determine what the punishment is.  Typically by introduction of a bill by a Senator or Assemblyperson, and signed into law by the Gov.  In NY, we have "Buster's Law" and the last case I heard about, the guy went to jail for three years, which in my opinion isn't even enough!!
49077
What book are you referring to?  Have you heard of California's "3-strikes" law? It's when a felon who's been convicted of 2 felonies is arrested and convicted for a 3rd felony. That felon is then sentenced to life in prison for being a repeat felony offender. Sound harsh? Read up on it more in your search engine, under "3-strikes law". \nPretty intersting stuff, and there's discussions on both sides of the topic.
204784
I've asked this same question ... makes no sense to me.  "Some" child molestors, people convicted for homicide, murder, rape ... get less time than than drug dealers.  I beleive the governement is pissed because they lose "tax" money on the drug industry so they will at least squander and pilfer the money from the dealers through prison time.
325037
California does not have "classes" of felonies, so I don't know where you're getting that idea.  \n\nAs to the rest of your question, you're not going to be able to get a decent answer here without posting an awful lot more details than you have.  There are just too many things that can make a difference, and there's no way to address them with what you've posted here.
552944
Not yet it isn't but there are thoughts of doing so, and the costs will rise year on year. It's been tried in the past already. We will get addicts becoming more dependent. Doctors inundated with work. What if some people pretend to be addicts so that they can get supplies in order to get young children 'hooked' on drugs? What if some Doctors start drug dealing? It is open to all kinds of abuse. Money would be better spent trying to prevent people taking drugs in the first place and getting addicts off drugs.  This is a typical example of what's wrong with this Country. What are we trying to do? Give the Police less work? We want a visible Police Force with more manpower to tackle crime, not a nanny force.
194196
Well it seems to me that person should not have to keep on paying forever.  If a person fulfilled all of the requirements that were specified by a judge eg:  served their time, did their probation, went to their classes, or whatever they should get their rights back.  Once you get into trouble the system works against you.  It becomes about 100 times harder to get a job or a place to live and that's after you've done the time.  Besides let him who is without sin cast the first stone.  How many people have driven drunk and not gotten pulled over?  How many people have been publically intoxicated and not gotten put in jail?  Who has ever stolen anything?  Or lied (yes, it's a punishable offense)?
501409
You hit it right on the head when you said that no one wants to take responsibility for their actions...after all, no one held a gun to their head and said here, smoke this.  People probably figured that since they are addicted to it, they may as well as try to get some money.  It's called extortion.  And unfortunately you can do that and sometimes get away with it in America.  Aahh!  The justice system of this country.
552339
People are going to do drugs legally or illegally. Legalizing them however would put an end to many negative effects of illegal drugs. The costs of trying to stop them are extremely high and ineffective. Prisons are filled with people with drug related crimes, another very costly approach to solving the problem. If governments controlled the drug, let's call them stores, and kept the cost down so people could actually afford their addictions it would put a stop to many problems. It would cut out all of the dealers and street people selling them because they could not compete. The savings in taxes would put vast sums of money into the government coffers instead of taking money out. Prison populations would drop considerably. Violence from competing drug dealers trying to control their turf would disappear, they no longer would be in business. Lastly if drugs were legalized many people still would not use them knowing the very severe down-side to having an addiction. People learn from experience. I would not take hard drugs even if someone offered me money to do so. I learned that for myself the hard way, and it has been fifteen years since I have done any. For me they do nothing but create problems. Looking back, twenty years of my life I wasted doing drugs, and I'm paying the price for those twenty years.
236797
You ask a fair question. I agree with you- you would think that in an "advanced country" such as this that we would have learned something from the "Prohibition". \nFar too much of our jail and prison space has been filled up with people who's only crime was that they "got high". Yet prescription drug addicts and alcoholics are not sanctioned in this way. To me, it goes against what it says in our Constitution (regarding "cruel and unusual punishment") to lock people up for that. They are already hurting. We could really learn something from other countries who have legalized certain drugs. (Such as Holland, for instance.) After their legalization, crime rates dropped, tax-payers dollars were saved, families kept intact, substances being used became safer to use, and contrary to what some may believe, usage rates did not "go up". More money was spent on treatment, and the "black market" (along with all the other crime that is attached to that) was virtually eliminated. Why can't this country see the benefits of legalization? The "War on Drugs" is just as "ambiguous" as the "War on Terrorism".  We can't "win" it. We must learn and implement better ways of dealing with these issues. Or, both "wars" are going to leave us "bankrupt" and still without an "end" solution in sight.\n-Tera (time4u420@yahoo)