Comments on: Pew Report: 1 in 100 U.S. Adults Behind Bars in 2008 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/ Life. Liberty. Property. Defending individual freedom and liberty, one post at a time. Fri, 17 May 2013 18:49:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Harry Rossman http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53292 Harry Rossman Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:50:37 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53292

If they weren’t criminals then they wouldn’t have broken the law :)

The article has a valid point. From my experience, it is not so much theft, murder and drugs that people are in jail for, it is for violations which were once misdemeanors that are now felonies. I am not sure what it is in Georgia, but in Arizona it is a felony to be caught without a valid drivers license.

Now, I grant that if someone is caught driving and does not have a valid license, there should be a punishment. But a *felony* conviction??? To deny an individual his right to participate in his community??? Once, a felony conviction was applied only to those who were proven in court to be not just completely outside of the bounds of society, but to have committed a heinous crime.

I don’t see where most of the current felony “crimes” currently on the books meet this criteria.

]]> By: The Crossed Pond » That Pew Report http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53285 The Crossed Pond » That Pew Report Sun, 02 Mar 2008 12:51:31 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53285 [...] Freedom Democrats (which notes that even as the Drug War wanes a bit, War on Sex Crimes waxes) and The Liberty Papers which can’t help itself in snarkily asking: One would think that based on an adult [...]

]]> By: Ken http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53265 Ken Sat, 01 Mar 2008 12:53:00 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53265 If 72.5% of Georgians are 18 and over…and there are 9 million people in the state of Georgia…and GA has roughly 500,000 in jail or probation, then GA’s rate is 7.5% (if we include probation, which I think is a more worth statistic)

]]> By: UCrawford http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53252 UCrawford Sat, 01 Mar 2008 06:33:59 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53252 Right…and if someone was on drugs while driving and killed a family of six Stephen would probably want them to go free because he probably thinks murder is okay if you’re on drugs. People for legalization are evil…eeeeeeeevillllllll….

It’s fun to throw around anti-drug straw men :)

]]> By: Nitroadict http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53248 Nitroadict Sat, 01 Mar 2008 06:16:28 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53248 What is this tomfoolery?!?! If we legalize the drugs, they’ll just keep doing them! And they’ll keep going to jail!

]]> By: UCrawford http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53242 UCrawford Sat, 01 Mar 2008 04:12:56 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/02/29/pew-report-1-in-100-us-adults-behind-bars-in-2008/#comment-53242 If they weren’t criminals then they wouldn’t have broken the law :)

]]>