If you think that Mandatory Minimum, Three Strike Laws and The War on Drugs is a nightmare, please visit the websites below and read the attached Blogs in the Time Union Newspaper – Jacksonville, FL as it relates to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico-Act) and African American gang members
A mandatory sentence is a court decision setting where judicial discretion is limited by law. Typically, people convicted of certain crimes must be punished with at least a minimum number of years in prison. Mandatory sentencing laws vary from country to country; it is mainly an area of interest only in Common Law jurisdictions, since Civil Law jurisdictions usually prescribe minimum and maximum sentences for every type of crime in explicit laws.
Three Strike Law: While some politicians hailed the three-strikes laws as the ultimate get-tough-on-crime measure, others criticized the laws for contributing to prison overcrowding. If a defendant is convicted of a third felony, judges in three-strikes states are required to issue a 25-year plus sentence, even if the third felony was a minor offense such as shoplifting. Also, studies of three-strikes laws have shown that African-Americans are disproportionately affected by the policy.
The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade. This initiative includes a set of drug policies of the United States that are intended to discourage the production, distribution, and consumption of illegal psychoactive drugs. The term “War on Drugs” was first used by President Richard M. Nixon on June 17, 1971.
The RICO Act is a United States Federal Law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. The RICO Act focuses specifically on racketeering, and it allows for the leaders of a syndicate to be tried for the crimes which they ordered others to do or assisted them, closing a perceived loophole that allowed someone who told a man to, for example, murder, to be exempt from the trial because they didn’t actually do it.
Gangs infest every state. They ruin lives through violence, murder, drugs, theft, and destruction of property while lowering the standard of living for many citizens trapped by ruthless gang activities. To stop gang violence, citizens need information, support and community activism. These tools remain viable options in combating the problem locally.
Jacksonville police and prosecutors have used racketeering laws to get more than 150 years in prison for leaders and members of two local gangs, all are African American.
PROJECT R.E.A.C.H. INC. over the last five years has used its voice and advocacy to help re-enfranchise and educate the at-risk, minority and poor communities. The issues surrounding poverty, drugs, gangs, violence, disparities, the criminal/injustice system and other social ills have been the focal points.
Mandatory minimum, Three Strike Laws and the War on drugs have caused a prison swell, and the RICO Act as used in Jacksonville, Florida will continue this atrocity even during America’s budget crisis.
We can’t allow the RICO Act to continue the disenfranchisement of our now and future generations. We must get this information out to our communities allowing them to know the consequences of gang and racketeering activities.
http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-05-05/story/jacksonville-gang-members-sentenced
Richard P. Burton, Sr., Director
PROJECT R.E.A.C.H., INC.
P.O. Box 440248
Jacksonville, FL 32244
Bus: 904-786-7883 Cell: 610-349-3358
E-mail: projectreachinc@msn.com
http://projectreachinc.webs.com/
As a non-profit 501 (c)(3) (Re-enfranchisement) Organization, we provide event speakers and organize and facilitate criminal/juvenile justice forums
ForgottenMajority.com extends a hearty ‘THANK YOU’ to Project R.E.A.C.H. INC for educating our readers on these critical topics. !!!KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!!