While technically flawed, her point is still valid and most people support the concept that you shouldn't lose your right to vote because you weren't able to avoid a felony conviction which usually means you didn't hire a good lawyer. We all know the criminal justice system is broken and punishes the poor disproportionately. We need to reduce its harshness and this is a step in that direction.
Sure, maybe a dime bag isn't a felony. There is a time where it was. My father almost spent a significant amount of time in jail over a joint (that wasn't his), and would have landed a felony charge. I got caught with a tenth of a gram of hash oil when I was 17, in the state of Texas that meant I spent 3 months in the adult jail surrounded by felons that wouldn't see freedom for a significant amount of time just waiting to go to court for felony possession of a controlled substance. If the jails weren't so overcrowded at the time, they wouldn't have offered me a plea deal to knock it down to a misdemeanor and I wouldn't be able to vote. Over a stupid possession of something I can now buy at a store across the street from my apartment (in Oregon, no longer in Texas). She may have a detail or two wrong, but the point still stands.
NowCHare on April 26th, 2019 at 17:12 UTC »
While technically flawed, her point is still valid and most people support the concept that you shouldn't lose your right to vote because you weren't able to avoid a felony conviction which usually means you didn't hire a good lawyer. We all know the criminal justice system is broken and punishes the poor disproportionately. We need to reduce its harshness and this is a step in that direction.
drunkpunk138 on April 26th, 2019 at 17:29 UTC »
Sure, maybe a dime bag isn't a felony. There is a time where it was. My father almost spent a significant amount of time in jail over a joint (that wasn't his), and would have landed a felony charge. I got caught with a tenth of a gram of hash oil when I was 17, in the state of Texas that meant I spent 3 months in the adult jail surrounded by felons that wouldn't see freedom for a significant amount of time just waiting to go to court for felony possession of a controlled substance. If the jails weren't so overcrowded at the time, they wouldn't have offered me a plea deal to knock it down to a misdemeanor and I wouldn't be able to vote. Over a stupid possession of something I can now buy at a store across the street from my apartment (in Oregon, no longer in Texas). She may have a detail or two wrong, but the point still stands.
DoxxMeOnce on April 26th, 2019 at 18:19 UTC »
How about we just stop locking people up for drugs entirely?