Jury’s Decide Sentence for Drug Offenders
By Michael Komorn
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Jury’s, rather than the Judge, will decide whether the minimum sentence is imposed on drug offenders. Drug offenders are among the most frequent to receive at least the minimum sentencing. Of the United States’ 2,266,800 adults either in prison or jail, at least a quarter of them are in for drug offenses. Current data shows that roughly 6.8 million Americans are dealing with drug addiction/dependence, providing a fresh stock of individuals for the criminal justice system to incarcerate each year. The ruling handed down by the Supreme Court will likely see the number of offenders sent to jail or prison reduced, as more and more Americans view drug abuse as a medical issue, rather than a criminal issue. To read more about the ruling, please click here
