Cash Registrar Justice. (535 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.9 on 11 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by <copeland.michael.at.sbcglobal.net> (View user info) at 2004-03-05 15:25:08 EST
This is NOT a post about whether drugs should be legalized. That's an interesting topic, but I'm sure its been covered in other post here. This post is about the bizarre and unethical way drugs have corrupted the criminal justice system at the local level. As a little background information, I'm an attorney in a small Midwest town, and this is my "insiders" view of what's going wrong.
In my district, as well as every district in my state, there's a D.A. Drug Task Force. The Drug Task Force is financed largely by items forfeited in drug seizures. Cars, Boats, homes, etc., anything that is remotely connected to a drug transaction is seized and sold at a sheriffs auction. This has turned into a lucrative practice for the D.A.'s office, and as a natural consequence, they have devoted a large portion of their investigative effort there.
The problem is, they are using the criminal justice system as a for-profit institution. The have let their financial interest overwhelm the interest of justice. For example, there is no "D.A. Child Abuse Task Force", because there is no money in child abuse prosecution. The law in my state doesn't allow for anything to be confiscated in those actions, so the State isn't nearly as active in investigating that crime. I'm sure if you asked the residents here they would say they view child abuse as the more serious crime. But the state doesn't have the financial incentive there, so the courts, police, and attorneys don't give it the attention the residents probably believe it deserves.
The Drug Task Force also plays no role in preventing drug use. There's no money in that either. They concentrate only on the "arresting drug users" strategy in the war on drugs, because that's the only one that makes financial sense. In an ideal world the Drug Task Force would go to schools and give speeches about how methamphetamines are causing people to give up their families and careers. They would show teens what a meth addict looks like 7 or 8 years down the road, when their teeth have fallen out and they've wasted away to skeletons. This might actually stop people from using it in the first place.
But as I've said, that's not going to happen. So long as the criminal justice system is used as a profit center, we can expect it behave in a way that doesn't serve the public well. The individuals at the D.A.'s office are good people, don't get me wrong. But they tend to use their power to serve the state's financial interest rather than the interest of justice, and that's just wrong.
Biloba
User Reviews
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2004-03-06 13:22:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
The sheriff in the county I grew up in Rural North Florida is crooked as a snake and has been in power 30+ years.
Submitted by Bennywild (user info) at 2004-03-06 01:35:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good read. Interesting, for sure.
Also (I can't hold it in)...domenad, there are numerous documented cases of abuse under the Patriot Act. They just don't make the news.
Submitted by Trout (user info) at 2004-03-05 17:35:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good point
Submitted by bornfree (user info) at 2004-03-05 16:30:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Dazd1 (user info) at 2004-03-05 16:24:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
If it wasnt for the profit coming in from Drug use and sales the Govt would probably go broke
Submitted by Phinch (user info) at 2004-03-05 16:03:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
derned gubament.
Submitted by BonesForBucks (user info) at 2004-03-05 16:01:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I love hearing about how the allmighty US government does have a..shall we say...human side? It's not a bunch of robots churning out the best possible answer for anything and everything. It is a fallable system motivated by the men and women who control it.
Submitted by freebie (user info) at 2004-03-05 15:50:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good read. Isn't the highway patrol also a money making enterprise through traffic tickets. DWI checkpoints don't stop drinking or DWI but do produce cash for gov't. Just a few examples of government no longer benefitting citizens to go along with your well written point.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2004-03-05 15:48:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Being an elected official, I will tell you that the name of the game is money - as if you didn't already realize that. The people in charge have to come up with unique ways to acquire funding. To raise taxes would be politcal suicide. There's usually a limit to the amount that you can borrow, so you have to get creative with the ways to bring in the green stuff. It is sad that today most governmental bodies have a dozen consultants in their pockets, which even further drains the kitty. Most state and county governments are too big for their budgets, so they're strapped for cash - meaning that they can't cost-effectively fulfill their responsibilities to their constituencies. Even worse yet, is their need to regulate everything for a fee. The taxpayer then must bear the burden of this all.
I understand what you are saying that it's sad that the almighty dollar carries more weight than justice and prevention does. Prevention should be seen as an investment, rather than a frivolity because when the investment of prevention wouldn't start returning a dividend until after the politician's term in office is up.
We are pretty much stuck with our system. As screwed up as our system is, it is the only one that we have - and it has been working for us now for over 200 years.
I should have made this a separate post.
Submitted by domenad (user info) at 2004-03-05 15:34:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This is the exact problem - people are out bitching about the Patriot Act, which doesn't have one documented abuse. You've lost MORE rights due to the war on drugs than you'll ever lose due to anti-terrorism legislation. In war on drugs, people have their money, property, and liberty taken away without any criminal pretense.
Submitted by Yes (user info) at 2004-03-05 15:28:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
good read, interesting...
are you sure you're on the right site?