How a first crack cocaine offense led to a life sentence

Re:How a first crack cocaine offense led to a life sentence by b6 on Sunday July 19, 2015 @06:37PM (#9913122)

> "In light of the law and the guidelines and what the court heard during the trial, I know Judge Solis followed the law. He's a very fair man."

This is where the rubber meets the road. We all need to think about what type of world we want to help build.

Maybe someday you will wield a small amount of power in some situation, and it will be very clear what you are expected to do, and you will have the burden, opportunity, privilege, honor, to refuse to be a part of it. That you will not put bricks in place to make the world worse, that you will defy expectations and put bricks where they actually belong.

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Re:How a first crack cocaine offense led to a life sentence by chasing on Sunday July 19, 2015 @06:52PM (#9913172)

If I understand your comment, you're saying Judge Solis had "a small amount of power" with which he could have helped this woman.

But the point of the article, it seems, is that he had no power: Mandatory minimums completely tied his hands and gave him no options.

So while this is a travesty, I'm not sure the blame lays with Judge Solis.

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Re:How a first crack cocaine offense led to a life sentence by dsfnsdjfs on Sunday July 19, 2015 @07:24PM (#9913261)

yep, just followin' orders captain', no one to blame, truly it is a travesty, but what is there to do?

Yep, wonder if the I can get in a 9 hole before sundown.

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Re:How a first crack cocaine offense led to a life sentence by chasing on Sunday July 19, 2015 @09:20PM (#9913565)

You're assuming a whole lot of facts not in evidence, prosecutor.

For one thing: I'm not sure what would happen to a judge if she or he were to simply ignore the law when it came to sentencing. (Maybe someone here does.) My assumption is that they would be penalized somehow and that, in the end, the legal sentence would be applied, anyway.

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Re:How a first crack cocaine offense led to a life sentence by prawn on Sunday July 19, 2015 @06:53PM (#9913174)

I think this can be applied to every person wrapped up in this type or level of drug trade too. Think about what your action will mean for those around you.

I read the headline and comments and went into the article expecting it to be someone using cocaine at a party, but they were buying very large quantities. Surely you think at that point about the impact your involvement will have on your (or any) community.

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