Old Felons Fill Fed Prisons — For those who think America is Amerika and oppressive and repressive and mean, consider that of the 188,000 persons in federal prison, 80 percent are over 30 and about 45 percent are over 40.
In other words, those doing the hard time aren’t kids who made a stupid mistake, but calculating adults who likely have a long history of stupid mistakes.
Old Felons Fill Fed Prisons
Isn’t there a similar clarification necessary regarding those jailed for marijuana possession, that there is a large percentage who were arrested for some more serious charge, but took a plea bargain down to the lesser charge of possession?
If one is in prison on a marijuana-related crime one has almost certainly done something for which he could be serving a harder sentence.
For those arrested with small amounts of marijuana in Pennsylvania, the charge is almost always reduced to disorderly conduct — which is a summary offense i.e. no prison, doesn’t screw up your life — or given probation without verdict (no criminal record). http://jbmartinlaw.com/criminal-law-resources/section-17/