Quote:I was not aware of private companies running federal prisons.  That is certainly a conflict of interest.

 

 

As far as Georgia is concerned, there are only about 7,000-8,000 people under the supervision of private companies. 

 

Quote:It's hardly irrelevant. Big Prison looooves the "War on Drugs." Like others have pointed out, it's their biggest money maker. I will add that cops and everyone else used to be much more tolerant and lenient about this sort of thing up until about the 80s or 90s when Big Prison, et al, successfully lobbied for zero tolerance and three strikes you are out type enforcement--along with police quota systems.

 

If quotas exist, I've never been told about them. A huge number of police don't even concern themselves with weed. It isn't until drivers became careless after smoking it do they use it as a reason for arrest. Like anything else, many people function adequately after smoking. Many others simply don't have the ability to operate a vehicle while stoned. That whole 3-strikes thing is bogus, BTW. 

 

Quote:True enough, but the prisons aren't full because of convictions involving weed. The true growth in prison populations for drug convictions have to do with the explosion of cocaine usage in the seventies and eighties.

 

Which is where you get the arguments regarding different sentencing rates etc. for powder cocaine v. crack.

 

"Standard" weed prosecutions have practically become a civil fine - unless you have a garage full. 

 

Exactly.

 

Less than 1% of the prison population is marijuana possession and only 1/10 of 1% is 1st time offenders. 

 

Local cities and counties make a lot of money on marijuana fines. They don't want them hogging the jail beds. Most likely, the guy will spend a couple hours in jail until he bonds out. The judge will fine him a few hundred dollars and probation fees and call it a day. 

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