Tag: Justice Reform
Georgia Lawmaker Wants To Reduce Marijuana Possesion To A Misdemeanor
ATLANTA – A state lawmaker hopes to change marijuana possession from a felony to a misdemeanor in Georgia.
Senator Harold Jones, II, D – Augusta, held a news conference to announce the filing of Senate Bill 254. The bill would change possession to a misdemeanor under state law.
“It’s not just criminal justice reform, it’s human rights reform. And if the prosecutor has looked at all the facts and said this person isn’t selling this. I know it’s a lot, but this person isn’t selling it, it’s for personal use. Why then should that person then lose, potentially, so much?”
The former prosecutor said the consequences of a felony conviction can ruin someone’s life, making him or her ineligible to receive some college scholarships, serve on a jury or vote.
Jones stressed that his bill would not legalize nor decriminalize marijuana and people caught selling the drug would still be charged with a felony.
SB 254 does not limit the amount of marijuana someone can possess, as long as it is for his or her own use.
While many people support the bill, Jones said he has not heard from Governor Nathan Deal on the proposition.
Originally posted on FOX5 News
Prison Inmates Defeat Harvard Students In A Debate
Criminal justice reform will likely be one of the big topics in the 2016 presidential campaign. Candidates should perhaps look into the Bard Prison Initiative. The program may provide a productive template for rehabilitating convicted felons by offering college-level courses.
According to The Wall Street Journal, inmates at the Eastern New York Correctional Facility took part in the Bard Prison Initiative, and the outcome was a win in a war of words over Ivy League students. Three men from the prison won a debate against undergraduates from Harvard College.
The two teams debated the issue of public schools having the ability to deny enrollment to undocumented students. Though they disagreed with the premise, the inmates had to defend the idea. After nearly an hour of back-and-forth, judges awarded the victory to the inmates.
“They caught us off guard,” said Harvard junior Anais Carell.
The prison debaters were not allowed to use the internet for research and could only rely on written texts such as books and magazines. Prison administrators had to approve every material the prisoners were able to use which could take weeks. Even with that disadvantage, the Bard team has also defeated West Point and the University of Vermont.
Source | AllHipHop
The Pen Hustle With Brandy Cavalli 
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