Disparity in Sentencing and Crack Cocaine

Posted on October 18, 2007 by Ron Chapman

In a previous blog posting, I argued for rationality in sentencing given the widespread problem of prisoner overcrowding in the United States generally and in Florida particularly.  After publishing that posting, I came upon an article that appears on the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' website.  That article points out the disparity in sentencing between those convicted of crack cocaine offenses versus those convicted of powder cocaine offenses has been well known for years.  The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in a case that dealt with this disparity.  Will the high court do anything to correct this unjust disparity in sentencing?  We can only hope.

Florida drug offense attorney Ronald Chapman has been representing people accused of committing drug crimes in Florida since 1990. You can read more about Mr. Chapman’s experience as a Florida drug offense lawyer as well as review news articles about some of his cases.  Some of the types of cases and issues that Mr. Chapman has handled include:

• Death Penalty Cases
• Assault and Battery Cases
• DUI Cases
• Drug Cases
• Sex Cases
• Sealing & Expunging Criminal Records
• Bond|Bail
• Mistaken Identification and Wrongful Conviction
• Police Interrogations
• Sentencing

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Prisoner Overcrowding in Florida

Posted on October 18, 2007 by Ron Chapman

Time Magazine

These days, judges are handing out prison time like it's candy.  I have personal knowledge of one case in which a person was convicted of kidnapping his girlfriend and then sentenced to life in prison even though the victim told the judge that she only wanted her boyfriend to be sentenced to ten years in prison.  A few weeks ago in Stuart, Florida, a man in his early twenties was sentenced to fifty years in prison for burglarizing his girlfriend's home and hitting her in the process.  Why do I, as a Florida taxpayer, have to support such men for the rest of their lives when they should be out working and supporting themselves?  Neither of the two men mentioned above committed a crime deserving of such harsh sentences, and undoubtedly Florida's prisons contain many other such examples of men who are spending far more time in prison than they deserve for the crimes they committed.  While it's certainly proper to punish wrongdoers, let's bring some rationality to the table when doling out such punishment.

 

Florida criminal defense lawyer Ronald Chapman has been representing people accused of committing crimes in Florida since 1990.  You can read more about Mr. Chapman’s experience as a Florida criminal defense attorney as well as review news articles about some of his cases.  Some of the types of cases and issues that Mr. Chapman has handled since 1990 include:


• Death Penalty Cases
• Assault and Battery Cases
• DUI Cases
• Drug Cases
• Sex Crimes Cases
• Sealing & Expunging Criminal Records
• Bond|Bail
• Mistaken Identification and Wrongful Conviction
• Police Interrogations
• Sentencing

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