Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Last month, the Dallas County district attorney charged more than 400 individuals with possession of less than two ounces of marijuana each. That means well over 400 people could have remained in the community but were instead arrested and put into jail. Some surely lost jobs, others surely had families that suffered, all because our local leaders couldn't agree to implement a common-sense cite-and-release program for marijuana possession that was approved in April.
County commissioners finally passed a cite-and-release program in mid-October, but the delay was simply unacceptable.
Earlier this year, Dallas City Council took an important step toward making change in our criminal justice system by voting in favor of a cite-and-release policy for marijuana offenses. While far from perfect, that policy requires police officers to give a ticket to those found with less than four ounces of marijuana, rather than take them to jail.
Given the devastating effects that occur when a person has to spend even a short time in jail, this is a critical reform. People in Dallas charged with low-level offenses are often too poor to pay their cash bail, so they sit in jail for days or even weeks before they are even convicted of a crime. They often lose their jobs and, unable to work, many cannot make car or home payments. They lose key possessions. For those who care for children, their absence creates a void that cannot be filled. And for those undocumented people in our community, the repercussions are life-altering. Once booked into jail, they are at risk of deportation.
Cite-and-release is only part of the solution, however. Prosecutors are still able to charge people found with small amounts of marijuana with misdemeanor offenses. To some, that may seem a minor consequence, but one small charge has enormous implications. Criminal records present barriers to employment, to public housing, and to the receipt of other social services. And people of color disproportionately experience those negative effects, as they are more often targeted by the police and arrested than their white counterparts. Meanwhile, numerous studies show that there is little public safety benefit to saddling people with records for these offenses.
As a community and faith leader who believes we can have a more just justice system in Dallas, I am dismayed by these policies. As our leaders squabble, real people are harmed. They can and should do better.
Last March, Houston District Attorney Kim Ogg implemented a new policy for those caught with less than four ounces of marijuana. They are now ticketed and then, after participating in a four-hour drug education class, the DA dismisses the cases. Ogg realized these misdemeanor convictions cost money and create unnecessary life barriers: "We have disqualified, unnecessarily, thousands of people from greater job, housing and educational opportunities by giving them a criminal record for what is, in effect, a minor law violation."
Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson should do the same. In a recent opinion column she acknowledged that criminal records often create unfortunate barriers to meaningful employment, but giving low-level offenders the chance to set their records straight "reduces their prospects of becoming repeat offenders." If she wants her writing to be more than empty words, she should stop filing hundreds of marijuana charges and instead implement her own program to keep people out of jail, in jobs, and free of harmful and unnecessary criminal records.
It is time for our leaders to move away from the thoughtless tough-on-crime policies that have harmed our communities. Dallas residents deserve better.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Dallas' cite-and-release marijuana program doesn't go far enough | Commentary | Dallas News
Author: Frederick D. Haynes
Contact: Dallas News: Breaking News for DFW, Texas, World
Photo Credit: Bill Alkofer
Website: Dallas News: Breaking News for DFW, Texas, World
County commissioners finally passed a cite-and-release program in mid-October, but the delay was simply unacceptable.
Earlier this year, Dallas City Council took an important step toward making change in our criminal justice system by voting in favor of a cite-and-release policy for marijuana offenses. While far from perfect, that policy requires police officers to give a ticket to those found with less than four ounces of marijuana, rather than take them to jail.
Given the devastating effects that occur when a person has to spend even a short time in jail, this is a critical reform. People in Dallas charged with low-level offenses are often too poor to pay their cash bail, so they sit in jail for days or even weeks before they are even convicted of a crime. They often lose their jobs and, unable to work, many cannot make car or home payments. They lose key possessions. For those who care for children, their absence creates a void that cannot be filled. And for those undocumented people in our community, the repercussions are life-altering. Once booked into jail, they are at risk of deportation.
Cite-and-release is only part of the solution, however. Prosecutors are still able to charge people found with small amounts of marijuana with misdemeanor offenses. To some, that may seem a minor consequence, but one small charge has enormous implications. Criminal records present barriers to employment, to public housing, and to the receipt of other social services. And people of color disproportionately experience those negative effects, as they are more often targeted by the police and arrested than their white counterparts. Meanwhile, numerous studies show that there is little public safety benefit to saddling people with records for these offenses.
As a community and faith leader who believes we can have a more just justice system in Dallas, I am dismayed by these policies. As our leaders squabble, real people are harmed. They can and should do better.
Last March, Houston District Attorney Kim Ogg implemented a new policy for those caught with less than four ounces of marijuana. They are now ticketed and then, after participating in a four-hour drug education class, the DA dismisses the cases. Ogg realized these misdemeanor convictions cost money and create unnecessary life barriers: "We have disqualified, unnecessarily, thousands of people from greater job, housing and educational opportunities by giving them a criminal record for what is, in effect, a minor law violation."
Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson should do the same. In a recent opinion column she acknowledged that criminal records often create unfortunate barriers to meaningful employment, but giving low-level offenders the chance to set their records straight "reduces their prospects of becoming repeat offenders." If she wants her writing to be more than empty words, she should stop filing hundreds of marijuana charges and instead implement her own program to keep people out of jail, in jobs, and free of harmful and unnecessary criminal records.
It is time for our leaders to move away from the thoughtless tough-on-crime policies that have harmed our communities. Dallas residents deserve better.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Dallas' cite-and-release marijuana program doesn't go far enough | Commentary | Dallas News
Author: Frederick D. Haynes
Contact: Dallas News: Breaking News for DFW, Texas, World
Photo Credit: Bill Alkofer
Website: Dallas News: Breaking News for DFW, Texas, World
