First-time, non-violent drug offenders serve longer than for rape, child molestation, manslaughter [View all]

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WBUR Boston's NPR Station
MA Reviews Mandatory Minimums
By Monica Brady-Myerov July 30, 2007

SNIP

...MONICA BRADY-MERYOV: Michaelene Sexton is a 55 year old grandmother of four who wears her strawberry blonde hair in a long braid. In the 1990s she was a bartender in Greenfield with a 10th grade education, three children, no husband and a growing cocaine habit.

MICHAELENE SEXTON: And I met this person who offered it to me at a very cheap price and I started including a friend or two in on it and it eventually got it really cheap or for free and eventually I started making a little money at the same time. It just snowballed. I never intended to be selling drugs.

MONICA BRADY-MERYOV: But she did — for almost 10 years. In 1999 she was arrested for possession of 100-200 grams of cocaine with intent to distribute. That amount could be packaged into as many as 9,000 $10 bags of cocaine. Her conviction fell under state mandatory minimum sentencing laws so the judge was not able to take into consideration the fact that she had never been arrested before, had no weapons and was a single mother of three.

MICHAELENE SEXTON: I never imaged that I would end up in prison for 10 year never imagined that could happen because I didn’t murder anyone. I didn’t rape anyone I’m not a child molester. I was a woman who had a drug problem and was doing illegal activities didn’t expected to get a longer sentence than people who do violent crimes. I never expected that.

MONICA BRADY-MERYOV: But federal research shows that the average sentence for a first time, non-violent drug offender is longer than the average sentence for rape, child molestation, bank robbery or manslaughter...Mandatory sentencing laws require the person serve all of the time in prison, no probation, no work release...

MORE AT: http://www.wbur.org/2007/07/30/ma-reviews-mandatory-minimums