Brenda Pearson is a mother of two children and wife for over 20 years; she is now serving a minimum of 50 years in prison.
Pearson could be considered a completely normal American woman, except for one thing. Pearson is a heroin addict.
While Pearson never stole from anyone or sold drugs to support her addiction, she made one mistake that she will regret for the rest of her life.
About fifteen years ago one of Pearson's close friends, who was also a heroin addict, moved across the country. Upon arriving there her friend asked her to send heroin to her through the mail because she could not find any on her own.
When the authorities learned that Pearson was doing this, they charged her with heroin distribution. Pearson pled guilty to 10 of these charges and is now serving a minimum of 50 years in prison before she is eligible for parole.
This unfortunate story, along with many others just like it, is featured on the Families Against Mandatory Minimums' website.
Pearson is in a rapidly growing section of the American prison population made up of non-violent drug offenders.
According to a study by the U.S. Department of Justice, of the 2.2 million Americans that are currently incarcerated, 21.2 percent of them are non-violent drug offenders.
While these individuals are felons, they are not career criminals, just people who were caught up in a drug addiction. However, the U.S. justice system does not differentiate between the two.
The mission statement of the Federal Bureau of Prisons states " It is the mission of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (…) to assist offenders in becoming law-abiding citizens."
The regular prison system may be designed to turn regular criminals into law-abiding citizens, but these non-violent drug addicts are not receiving the type of rehabilitation that they need by receiving lengthy prison sentences.
Most studies conclude that 50 percent of prisoners released from prison eventually end up returning, this includes non-violent drug offenders.
However, there are numerous drug rehabilitation facilities across the country that have success rates of up to 80 percent.
By giving these non-violent drug offenders shorter, mandatory sentences in a rehab facility, the government would not only save hundreds of millions of dollars but it would be greatly reduce the number of reoccurring criminals.
For most of these non-violent criminals, the only crimes they have ever committed in their lives have been drug possession, and if they are successfully rehabilitated they would be no more likely to commit a crime than the average American.
Drug addiction is a terrible affliction that is becoming a problem for more and more Americans. There is no doubt that addiction drives many people to commit serious crimes, but the American judicial system needs to begin fixing the problem instead of simply locking it away.
http://www.scccampusnews.com/non-violent-drug-offenders-fill-prisons-1.709045