Drug Crimes

Under New Federal Guidelines, 40,000 Drug Criminals Set For Early Release

By: Lawrence Wolf

New federal guidelines are setting thousands of drug criminals free under early release programs. According to the guidelines set by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, judges will have the legal power to set the maximum and the minimum years inmates are imprisoned for their convictions. This decision also includes those individuals already incarcerated. Any prisoner whose sentencing may be reduced should contact their drug crime lawyer to ensure all steps are in place for an early release.

How does this work?

If a prisoner has served three years of a five year sentence and the committee reduced the time for that crime downward to three years, this inmate could be released now. Inmates who are sentenced to halfway houses and home confinement can also have their original time reduced. Illegal aliens will be deported through our immigration authority when released. Shortly, almost 40,000 inmates will be qualified for early release.

Concerns

Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates states, “I think that you need to send dangerous people to prison for a very long time. But I think we need to be smart about deciding who those dangerous people are.” These concerns mostly lie with the small time drug dealers who are repeat offenders, violent, illegal gun carriers and deemed incorrigible. Many feel that they should be locked up for long prison terms because the possibility of them living productive lives away from criminal behavior is extremely low.

Bloated federal prisons

Our prisons are overloaded. The Justice Department spends nearly a third of its budget on our prison systems. If you are one of these prisoners who has questions about these guidelines, talk with an experienced drug crime attorney at the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf. Call now at [number type=”1″], or visit our website today: http://www.youareinnocent.com.Sponsored by: 1xbetSponsored by: 1xbet-original.com

Prop 47 Brings New Drug Possession Laws, Reduced Sentences

Dark and grungy prison cell at night

Over the past year, the number of inmates in California’s jails and prisons has decreased by about 13,000, largely due to the enactment of Proposition 47. Also known as the Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act, Prop 47 is expected to enrich California state coffers by more than $150 million this fiscal year thanks to reduced prison and jail overcrowding.

In November 2014, Californians overwhelmingly passed Prop 47 with the intent of ending long sentences for minor offenses such as drug possession and petty property crimes. Implementation of the new law has proven challenging, however, with some public officials and law enforcement agencies reportedly opposing the measure and failing to act. Advocacy groups, community organizations and attorneys are stepping in to assist people who are entitled to relief under Prop 47.

How has Prop 47 Changed Drug Possession Laws?

Prop 47 includes four main provisions. The law:

Reduces six common drug and nonviolent property felonies to misdemeanors. Individuals who were previously convicted of certain sex offenses or murder are excluded.
Allows for punishment to be reduced to misdemeanors. A request for re-sentencing can be denied if a judge feels that an inmate poses a risk to public safety.
Allocates savings to a state fund for treatment of drug addiction and mental illness, truancy reduction and victim support.
Allows criminal records to be amended to show misdemeanors rather than felonies.

Contact a Drug Lawyer Los Angeles for Assistance with Drug Possession Laws

As many as 300,000 people in Los Angeles County alone may be eligible for relief from Prop 47, but they must act quickly; requests for changes must be submitted by 2017. For more information about having your record amended under Prop 47, contact an experienced drug lawyer Los Angeles. Call [number type=”1″], or visit our website.

Reducing Drug Sentencing Through White Collar Crime Comparisons

handcuffed-man-300x200 Criminal justice in the US appears to be flawed due to overcrowded prisons and the language of laws, reports Jacob Shamsian. More than two decades have passed since Bill Clinton signed the 1994 Violent Crime Control Act in an attempt to curtail criminal offenses, asserts NPR.ORG. However, Thea Johnson and Mark Osler have authored a new paper on the rationale behind reducing drug sentencing.

Where Is the Problem?

Today’s punishments for drug-related offenses rely on the quantity of drugs. For example, punishments are given on the basis of weight of the substance. In many cases, the offender may only be tied to the presence of the drugs, and profits from drug-related transactions may be minimal.

The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 changed sentences for possession of powdered or crack cocaine. Since punishments derive from quantity, a drug crime attorney has limitations on his or her ability to defend a client. Unfortunately, both laws have been shown to disproportionately affect minorities and the poor, ultimately, resulting in higher incarceration rates for minorities. The only viable solution is reducing drug sentencing mandates.

Why Should Drug Offense Classification Change?

Drug offense classification is defined by the possession, manufacture, and distribution of a given substance. However, the scholars believe such offenses should carry sentences and punishments of white collar crimes. Logically, drug offenses are typically related to business transactions. Why should a business-related crime not include typical business-related punishments? Both crimes are profit-driven entities, and punishment for unlawful actions should flow in the same pattern. Within Johnson and Osler’s paper, most drug offenders are poor and trying to survive in a poverty-stricken society. Reducing drug sentences is possible by charging offenders based on net-gain from drug-related transactions.

Johnson and Osler represent part of a growing movement towards the decriminalization of many anti-minority laws, and a drug crime attorney must understand the need for radical reform of today’s drug sentences. Recently, President Obama enacted changes through executive action for reducing drug sentencing mandates, and Bill Clinton has expressed remorse in signing the Violent Crime Control Act.

If you have become the victim of disproportionate drug sentencing mandates, contact an experienced drug crime attorney, such as the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf. Call [number type=”1″], or go to our website: www.youareinnocent.com.

California Proposal Could Protect Immigrants with Drug Possession Charges from Deportation

young-man-in-shackles-300x200 Today, an immigrant who is charged with a minor drug charge in California could end up with a one-way ticket out of the United States, whether they have a green card or not. But a new proposal could change that. According to the Los Angeles Times, individuals facing minor drug charges in California are often advised by their Los Angeles drug attorney to plead guilty to their crimes and to enter a drug counseling program. If the individual completes the drug education program successfully, the charges in most cases would be dismissed. But for immigrants — both here illegally as well as those with green cards — pleading guilty could lead to deportation.

Fortunately for these individuals, California is considering a proposal that would protect immigrants who are facing a minor drug charge, such as substance possession, from being deported. The proposal would allow a defendant to enroll in a drug treatment program before entering a plea. If the defendant is then able to successfully complete the program, they would not have to plead guilty to the charge. Of course, if they are unable to complete the program successfully, they would then have to face the drug charges that have been made against them.

The author of the bill, Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) believes that this proposal will allow individuals to get the drug counseling they need to turn their lives around without the fear of deportation. To allay some of the worries of those who oppose this proposal, the drug counseling option would only be available to immigrants who do not have a prior history of drug sales and have not been convicted of a serious felony.

This is an extremely important case as, today, thousands of immigrants are deported for drug possession charges each year, including many who have been in the United States for much of their lives. Unfortunately, many of these deported individuals end up leaving shattered families behind, according to the Human Rights Watch.

While the fate of this bill is still up in the air, it is important that immigrants facing drug charges hire a lawyer familiar with current immigration laws regarding such offenses. Not doing so could end up costing them their right to remain in the United States.

If you have recently been arrested on drug charges in the Los Angeles area and are an immigrant here legally or illegally, you need to contact a drug lawyer Los Angeles with theLaw Offices of Lawrence Wolf. Call [number type=”1″] for a free consultation. You can also visit our website: www.youareinnocent.com.

Major California and Los Angeles Drug Law Reforms in 2014

If the old adage ‘as California goes, so goes the nation’ has any truth to it, then 2014 was cause for hopeful optimism for drug law reform advocates across the U.S. It was a year that saw several major victories for those working for changes in drug law in Los Angeles.

Many criminal lawyers and drug attorneys in California and Los Angeles are praising the defeat of regressive bills and changes in existing laws in 2014 that they say will bring major improvements, including lessening criminal charges for minor drug possession and use, cutting down on prison and jail overcrowding, equalizing penalties for similar crimes, reducing HIV and Hepatitis C infections, and combatting poverty.

The Drug Policy Alliance, billed as the “leading organization promoting drug policies that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights”, has listed what it considers the major accomplishments in drug law policy reform in California in 2014.

Defeat of the Medical Marijuana Regulation Bill (SB1262), which many criminal lawyers in Los Angeles and California complained would require oversight of regulation by an unqualified state agency, would result in unfair treatment of medical marijuana patients, and deny a medical marijuana license to people with prior drug convictions.
Passage of the Sterile Syringe Access at CA Pharmacies (AB1743) bill, which will continue to allow people to buy sterile syringes at pharmacies without a prescription, and lift the limit on how many can be purchased and possessed, a major factor in HIV and Hep C prevention.
Passage of the California Fair Sentencing Act (SB1010) bill, which eliminated the discriminatory disparity in sentencing between crack and powder cocaine, which crime law attorneys have been decrying for over a decade.
Repeal of the lifetime ban on benefits such as food stamps for those convicted of a drug felony.
Passage of bill AB1535, which makes the drug naloxone, a drug which reverses overdoses from opiates, available as an OTC medicine, able to be purchased without a prescription from California pharmacies.
And most importantly for some, passage of Proposition 47, the Safe Schools and Neighborhoods Act, which reduces several petty crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, and allows for reclassification of criminal records, removing felony convictions from the records of as many as 1 million people, and ultimately reducing the prison population.

2014 was a fateful year for drug and criminal law in Los Angeles, and a harbinger of things to come for the rest of the country. If you’re in need of the services of a drug or criminal law attorney in Los Angeles, contact the law offices of Lawrence Wolf at [number type=”1″] for a free consultation.

Drug law Los Angeles Benefitting From Lower Gang Activity

Are gangs finally on the decline? In Southern California, at least, it looks that way. A recent article in Pacific Standard magazine notes that in the past five years, gangs have become significantly less visible throughout the area.

Several years ago, 70 or more people were murdered each year in Santa Ana, often for gang-related reasons; such crimes are processed through the system of criminal law Los Angeles. For 2014, the number or murders stood at just 15.

Drug law Los Angeles is feeling the effects of declining gang activity as well; police have noted a 50-percent decline in gang-related crime since 2008. Academics say the overall shift has happened very quickly, and it’s not just in California.

Gangs by the numbers nationwide

Violent crime is declining across the United States, decreasing by approximately 16 percent between 2008 and 2012 alone. The National Gang Center confirms that the prevalence of gangs is down: They’re in about 30 percent of jurisdictions across the country, compared to 40 percent in the mid-1990s. Prevalence has changed the least in large cities and suburbs, and it has decreased the most in rural counties and small cities.

However, the center notes that a better way to gauge overall gang activity is through total number of gangs and gang members. Currently, about 30,000 gangs with 850,000 members exist in the United States, an increase of about 8 percent in the number of members and 11 percent in the number of gangs compared to five years ago.

Most of the increase is in large cities, the center reports. Along with the decline in prevalence of gangs in rural counties and small cities, the increase in gangs in densely populated areas suggests that gang activities are becoming more concentrated in urban areas.

History of gangs

Gangs in the United States date to at least the 1800s, but they started later in Southern California. Beginning after World War II, the high stakes of drugs have increased the prominence of gangs across the nation.

While the growing concentration of gangs in urban areas is good news for small towns, it will require continued vigilance by law enforcement and citizens to keep related crime under control in large cities. To find a drug attorney or criminal lawyer Los Angeles, please contact the law offices of Lawrence Wolf at [number type=”1″] for a free consultation.

Potential for California’s 2016 Marijuana Legalization Bill

Currently embroiled in debates over the future of marijuana drug law Los Angeles is an interesting place to be right now. In January, a panel up north in Santa Rosa discussed the possibility of passing a marijuana legalization measure in 2016, and what that might mean for the industry as a whole.

Multiple factors are at stake with a legalization bill. Although 2010’s effort to legalize the state’s largest cash crop, Proposition 19, failed by a slim margin, a recent poll conducted by Tulchin Research indicates that 65 percent of Californians would vote to reform marijuana laws. Many voters seem tired of the ongoing debates, and are ready to opt for legalization and solve problems it brings with it, including crammed jails and disputes over how exactly to run an industry that currently exists in a strange medicalized limbo.

The panelists, in a rare show of solidarity, came together to ensure that the industry, which has been operating behind the scenes for decades, would have a strong voice should marijuana be legalized this coming year. They cited concerns that without one, huge preexisting industries like tobacco or casinos or agribusiness would take over.

Panelists also voiced concerns over the exorbitant potential costs of grow licenses, stating that such consolidation of wealth harmed an industry that ought to operate on free market principles. “We need to be politically active and come up with a solution, so that the people who are now doing what they’re doing at least have a chance to be grandfathered in,” said one woman who already has a grow operation, and has for decades.

Still unsolved are questions of what will happen to felons convicted of growing marijuana if it becomes legalized. Panelists disagreed with the idea of banning these felons from receiving licenses to grow, as suggested by the state, and expressed hope that grow-related felonies could be expunged for others looking to get teaching or real estate licenses down the road.

Are you wondering about these laws, or if you might benefit from the help of a drug law or criminal law attorney? Get in touch with the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf. With over 40 years’ experience, they’ll help you navigate the complicated world of drug law and uphold your rights. Visit the website at www.YouAreInnocent.com to receive a complementary consultation, or call [number type=”1″].

The Decriminalization of Drugs and Other Innovative Approaches Could Solve America’s Drug Problem

pills-and-syringe-300x199 America’s war on drugs, started by President Nixon, has been an abject failure in almost every way. After millions of shattered lives and billions spent on incarcerations, drug use has only increased in the decades that followed. In fact, the sole “success” of the war on drugs is that the United States became the world’s leading incarcerator.To combat the persistent issues caused by the war on drugs, America simply needs to look at its global neighbors and allies for innovative approaches that can solve our drug crisis.

Following Portugal’s Lead, America Could Decriminalize Drugs

Ask any drug crime lawyer whether drug users in prison deserve their lengthy sentences, and they will respond with an emphatic, “No!” Decriminalizing drug use would eliminate incarcerations for drug use, replacing this antiquated practice with a health-centered approach that revitalizes communities.

Portugal provides an incredible example of the benefits afforded to societies when they decriminalize drugs.

To Combat the Dangers of Heroin, the U.S. Can Implement Heroin-Assisted Treatment Programs

Heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) programs are used to great effect in Canada and other European nations. HAT programs and centers provide clinically administered doses of heroin that have been proven time and again to reduce illicit drug use, crime, disease and overdose deaths.

These programs also focus on social reintegration and comprehensive wellness, which has resulted in convincing successes.

Supervised Injection Facilities Can Reduce HIV Infections and Overdose Deaths

Finally, supervised injection facilities (SIFs) are yet another inventive approach to reducing the dangers of drug use. By providing clean and sterile syringes, disease, overdoses and HIV risks are all greatly reduced. More importantly, statistics show that these facilities do not increase drug use or related criminal activity. Unfortunately, none of these facilities have been implemented in the United States.

The time has come for America to implement some of these remarkable approaches that will reduce incarceration, crime, drug use and diseases without relying on a broken criminal justice system that compounds the drug problem instead of fixing it.

If you have been arrested on drug charges in the Los Angeles area and need the assistance of an expert drug lawyer, seek out a proven drug lawyer at the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf. Call now at [number type=”1″], or go to our website: www.youareinnocent.com for a free consultation.Windows 10 activator

2014 in Review: Legislative Changes Needed in the War on Drugs

America’s War on Drugs is mired in flawed and incomplete policies as evidenced when looking back on some of the events of 2014.

Acclaimed actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s overdose death was a tragic reminder of the 105 people who die every day in the U.S. from overdosing. Over 30,000 die annually from accidental overdose. California was the most recent and largest state to help pass overdose prevention laws. Their new legislation allows citizens better access to opiate overdose reversal medication, which can be obtained via a pharmacist.

Many citizens across the country want to legalize marijuana. In 2014, voters in Oregon, Washington, D.C. and Alaska passed measures to legalize it. In 2012, Colorado and Washington lead the way with legalization measures.

In November, California passed Proposition 47, which is an attempt to end incarceration for low-level drug offenses. Voters approved a measure to change six nonviolent offenses (like drug possession) from felony to misdemeanor charges.

The Global Commission on Drug Police — comprised of former UN head Kofi Annan, former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo and others — called for the legal regulation of drugs and drug decriminalization.

Attorney General Eric Holder continued to make attempts throughout the year to fix the criminal justice system and end mass incarceration.

Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana in 2014.

The New York Times editorial staff said it is time to legalize marijuana. It was the first major national newspaper to call for an end to marijuana prohibition.

President Obama said in an interview with the New Yorker that marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol. He also said Colorado and Washington’s new laws were “important.” He also expressed dismay at inconsistencies in marijuana arrests relating to class lines.

For 40 years, Lawrence Wolf has worked diligently to bring some compassion to addiction-related offenses. Drug policies based on human rights are needed, especially when one considers that nearly three-quarters of a million individuals continue to be arrested for marijuana possession annually. Over half a million people remain jailed for a mere drug law violation. Additionally, the past 10 years have seen overdose fatalities double in number.

Located in Los Angeles, the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf are here to help juveniles and adults charged with a misdemeanor or felony crime. A drug crimes attorney, Lawrence Wolf is especially well-versed in addiction-related offenses.

For a free case evaluation, visit our website here. If you would like to speak to an experienced drug lawyer now, please call our toll-free line at [number type=”1″]. Contact us via email at LW@youareinnocent.com.

Pharmacist Arrested in Chatsworth for Illegal Storage of Opiates

A 65-year-old Chatsworth pharmacist called the authorities to report a stolen handgun only to end up being under investigation for improperly giving away drugs. According to a Moorpark Acorn report, the authorities responded to the report of a stolen handgun on Ventura Way in Chatsworth. During their visit, officials were concerned about the amount of Schedule II and III opiates stored there.

The pharmacist had been storing prescription medication for a friend whose pharmacy was shut down years ago. He turned himself in for violating California Health and Safety Code for storing the medication in an unapproved manner and he may face additional charges pending the investigation. It is unclear if he will lose his job as a pharmacist.

There are many strict laws and regulations regarding when and how controlled substances are stored and distributed. If you are a medical professional in California, such as a pharmacist, nurse, or doctor, the concerned regulatory board can pursue disciplinary charges based on a criminal conviction. There have been cases, however, where professionals have lost their licenses even after they have successfully fought the charges or had their arrest expunged from their record.