Let me see... Some Americans seem to
think that arresting and imprisoning someone for possessing an illegal drug is
not sufficient punishment. (They probably came to this conclusion because ,
obviously, the war on drugs has not worked) What's their new solution ?
WEll, for one, let's take away the ability to qualify for federal aid for
education (in case any of these criminals have any ideas about straghtening out,
that'll slow 'em down. NOTE: see http://www.drcnet.org/wol/138.html#coalition for
more on this ) and the newest one, from Michigan... Let's post their names on a
publicly posted list for twenty-five years AFTER they have done their time in
case they try to find a decent job.
This, the drug warriors figure, will
somehow reduce crime. It certainly sounds like a sure-fire formula for creating
a dis-enfranchised under-class that will require taxpayers to support them,
either on welfare or in prison, for the rest of their lives. What ARE these
people thinking???
Michigan Lawmaker
Proposes a Public Drug Offender Directory
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/138.html#directory
Lansing,
MI: A bill has been introduced in the Michigan House of
Representatives
that would create a public directory of drug
offenders.
House Bill
5796, known as the "Controlled Substance Offenders
Registration Act," was
introduced by Rep. Eileen DeHart (D-
Westland). The bill has been
referred to the House Committee on
Criminal Law and
Corrections.
Anyone convicted of a drug charge anywhere, but living
in
Michigan, will have to register for the directory, which will be
given
to state law enforcement agencies and the Federal Bureau
of
Investigation. The directory will contain the offender's name
and
any aliases, addresses, physical descriptions and date of
birth.
The
public will be able to view the directory at police
departments, and the bill
also calls for an electronic version of
the directory to be made available to
the public.
The legislation requires drug offenders to register for
whatever
term is longer, either 25 years following the date of
initially
registering or for 10 years after release from a
state
correctional facility.