Dec 11, 2021
Life Sentences for Drug Charges
Nobody’s Protesting When This Happens
Breonna Talyor, Tony Timpa, George Floyd, Kathryn Johnston, and so many others have lost their lives as a result of police using excessive force. Thousands of people took to the streets and protested public disapproval of the events that led up to these deaths. At the very least, letting the authorities know that the people would not stand for anything less than total accountability. They were right to do so.
How come nobody’s protesting judges who hand out life sentences for drug charges? Personally, I think it’s because people aren’t aware that this type of harsh sentencing is happening. Look at the case of Casey Rose. Casey was indicted along with 87 other people on conspiracy drug charges in 2014.
Every single person on that indictment, except Casey took a plea bargain. Most people do. With a conviction rate upwards of 98%, very few people take a case to trial in federal court. Casey became a victim of what is known as, trial penalty.
The trial penalty is the substantial difference between the prison sentence that is offered as part of a plea deal and the sentence a person receives if they lose at trial. Originally offered a twenty-year prison sentence, Casey felt that his attorney was trying to force him to sign the plea agreement. He took his case to trial. More than that, he represented himself at trial, going Pro Se. For more detailed information on the trial, look here.
After informing the court of his decision to take his case to trial, the court responded with more charges. They also utilized what is known as an upward departure, an 851 enhancement. When Casey lost at trial, he received a life sentence. A life sentence without the opportunity for parole.
The bottom line is still the same — a life lost. In any given situation, if the police say the word, “drugs,” it seems to be a free pass to kneel on someone’s neck, shoot the unarmed, and skew the ‘serve and protect’ oath. Judges are held to the same accountability as a police officer. Why are we not protesting these grotesque mandatory minimum guidelines and the trillion dollars taxpayers have spent on a war that it is not possible to win?
Why would we not stand up for all of the people in our lives who have been unfairly judged, forgotten, and sentenced to long prison sentences for a crime that should’ve never been criminalized, to begin with? If we don’t stand up, then who will?
