CAN-DO is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit foundation that advocates Clemency for All Non-violent Drug Offenders. To achieve this goal, they intend to help people that have been wrongfully or unjustly convicted in drug "conspiracy" cases. The repercussions of a single injustice spread unnecessary suffering to all the innocent family members and friends. Moreover, the impact on a child that loses a parent – especially a mother – to incarceration yields horrible consequences and perpetrates a vicious cycle of negative behavioral patterns.
CAN-DO has access to numerous cases, many of which are presented on their website. By sharing these cases, CAN-DO hopes to generate public concern that will lead to relief for prisoners via the clemency process.
These individuals are serving sentences that are outrageously disproportional to most crimes of violence based upon statistics provided by the Department of Justice. Also, the policy to target women has changed, possibly due to “The Drug Sentencing Reform Act” (S.1874) introduced by Senator Jeff Sessions on December 20, 2001. One section of this bill, which is still pending, addresses the egregious sentences given “to girlfriends and wives of drug dealers who engage in illegal activity out of misplaced affection, devotion, or fear.” This bill places a ceiling of 10 years upon women who were associated with drug dealers. However, the women who were prosecuted during the timeframe 1987 through 2000 will never benefit, even if the bill passes.
These individuals are serving sentences that are outrageously disproportional to most crimes of violence based upon statistics provided by the Department of Justice. Also, the policy to target women has changed, possibly due to “The Drug Sentencing Reform Act” (S.1874) introduced by Senator Jeff Sessions on December 20, 2001. One section of this bill, which is still pending, addresses the egregious sentences given “to girlfriends and wives of drug dealers who engage in illegal activity out of misplaced affection, devotion, or fear.” This bill places a ceiling of 10 years upon women who were associated with drug dealers. However, the women who were prosecuted during the timeframe 1987 through 2000 will never benefit, even if the bill passes.
CAN-DO was founded by Amy Ralston, who personally began to live a legal nightmare when
she refused to cooperate with feds against her husband, after two years of harassment was indicted for "conspiracy" and received a 24-year sentence essentially based on the entire amount of ecstasy that her then-husband Sandy manufactured because she collected bail money at Sandy's request after his arrest.
President Clinton granted Amy's clemency in 2000 and she was set free after 9 years of prison.
Visit CAN-DO site, read some of the 'horror stories' suffered by those women and try to support their site and mission. And yes, learn once for all what means and implies the insane "War on (certain) drugs"...
1 comment:
I visited their site...Horror stories indeed...but 'strangely' very few rise their voices against this criminal "War on drugs"...Amnesty??! Human Rights Watch??!
Evidently - thanks to an endless propaganda -the 'drug taboo' is still too strong and deeply rooted in people's mind.
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