subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Mon, Nov 09 2009 

Resources

print this story   Print this story
  Post to del.icio.us

Published September 11, 2008 12:02 pm - Circuit judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys will get their chance to chime in on Kentucky’s drug laws and whether they need to be amended.

Drug laws are under review


By RONNIE ELLIS
CNHI News Service

FRANKFORT

Circuit judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys will get their chance to chime in on Kentucky’s drug laws and whether they need to be amended.

A committee of the Kentucky Criminal Justice Council looking at drug offenses and sentences is considering that question as it works through the larger council to address Kentucky’s soaring jail and prison costs and populations.

The council was charged by Gov. Steve Beshear to look for ways to reduce both populations and costs after a series of media stories, including several by CNHI News Service, about the growing problem.

Kentucky now leads the nation in the rate of incarceration and its prison population has climbed from around 3,000 to over 21,000 in the past 30 years while the state’s corrections budget has skyrocketed from $7 million to nearly $400 million in the same period.

Gregory Bartlett, the vice-chief regional judge for the 16th Circuit in Kenton County who chairs the committee looking at the drug laws, proposed surveying the court officials.

“The point is to get as much input as possible from every perspective,” Bartlett told the committee Wednesday.

Among the questions on the proposed survey are whether penalties for possession of illegal drugs be tied to the quantity of the drug; should simple possession be classified as a misdemeanor if combined with mandatory drug counseling for the offender; how many defendants are actually sentenced to prison for first-time offenses; and what is the typical length of sentence.

Chris Cohron, commonwealth’s attorney in Warren County – the state’s third largest jurisdiction – and president of the Commonwealth’s Attorneys Association, said, “No offenders are being sent to prison on first-time possession charges.”

He said in fact many defendants are probated and then return to court as much as a dozen times in some jurisdictions before they’re sentenced to jail or prison.

Those who say Kentucky sentences too many people for often minor drug crimes believe drug offenses are better dealt with by treatment rather than incarceration. As many as 60 to 70 percent of those behind bars suffer from underlying drug problems, according to various studies. Cohron doesn’t dispute that, but he said Monday it’s not because first-time offenders are routinely or capriciously sentenced to jail time.

Other areas the committee will examine are enhancement of penalties, such as trafficking in drugs within certain distances of schools or possession of a firearm while trafficking and persistent felony offender laws, which lengthen sentences for repeat offenders. Bartlett said he thinks the PFO enhancements are inconsistently applied across jurisdictions and even within some jurisdictions.

He, Cohron and Frank Mascagni, a Louisville defense attorney whose clients include some drug offenders, agreed it’s also difficult to define trafficking, to distinguish between those who are selling drugs for profit and those who sell to associates or simply to support their personal drug use.

“True trafficking is worthy of time in a jail cell in my opinion,” Bartlett said. “But then we get down to what is trafficking.”

The committee also heard from a couple of women who know what the problem looks like from inside one of those cells and from within the grips of drug addiction.

One woman told of her life as a “soccer mom and a PTA mom” whose children went to upscale schools, “but what people didn’t know was I was a heroin addict.” She began through prescription pain killers and soon was using heroin, but while she ran through the family’s savings and encountered the judicial system through a series of bad check charges, she was able to hide her underlying problem for years.



print this story    email this story   






autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

ADULT THERAPIST
LifeSkills has a full-time Adult Therapist position available for our service center in Metcalfe County. The position is...>MORE

OPENING FOR PET GROOMER-STYLIST
for bush pet boarding & grooming business. Pleasant working environment with established client base. 5 years experience...>MORE

ELECTRICIAN WANTED. KY LICENSE PREFERRED.
OSHA 10 hr. 10+ years exp., commercial, EOE, Drug free workplace. Job is located in Glasgow, KY. Interested applicants c...>MORE

COMPETITIVE PHARMACEUTICAL DISTRIBUTOR IS
seeking full-time tele-sales reps. Base pay plus commissions. You must possess strong work ethics, good attendance rec...>MORE

MANAGEMENT (KEYHOLDER) POSITION WITH LOCAL
shoe store. Exciting career opportunity. Retail experience preferred. Competitive benefit package. Apply at SHOE SHOW, 2...>MORE

CAREER MINDED INDIVIDUALS SEARCHING FOR A HOME
We offer HOME ON WEEKENDS!!
2500 miles per week
100% no touch freight
No force dispatch to NYC. Safety &
...>MORE

BLUEGRASS SUPPLY CHAIN SERVICES
Has immediate part time forklift operator openings at a client location in Edmonton, KY. Team members are responsible fo...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Autos

1997 CHRYSLER LHS, 4 DOOR, AUTO,
loaded, leather, sunroof, 84K actual miles. $3,400. OBO. Call 646-5017.

...>MORE

2002 HARLEY DAVIDSON ROAD KING,
black, leather bags, $7,000. Call 270-678-9502....>MORE

05 KIA - $4,995; 02 CHEVY MALIBU 80k mi. $4,995;
02 Dodge Intrepid, very low miles; 04 Saturn 4 dr nice $4,995; 2000 Pontiac Grand Am 4 dr; 99 Mustang LX; 96 Mustang; 03...>MORE

2005 DODGE MAGNUM SXT WITH 73,000 MILES.
White ext., gray leather int., automatic, 6 cylinder, 3.5L engine. Asking $10,900. Call 270-202-2346.

...>MORE

LOOKING FOR A GREAT AUTO DEAL?.....
Looking to buy or sell?
Check here for the Premium Auto Section.
You can post an ad with unlimited text and
...>MORE

2007 PT CRUISER, 56K MILES
excellent condition. $7,500.00. Call 270-590-4725.

...>MORE

1997 GEO TRACKER, 2 DR. AUTO, 2 WD., 4 CYL. GAS
no a/c manual steering, great gass mileage, $2,200. Call 646-8122....>MORE

1990 CHEVY SPORT TRUCK
350, black, automatic, air conditioned, power windows, alloy wheels. $3,500. 651-3906.

...>MORE

1999 DODGE WORK VAN, LWB, V8, AUTO,
a/c, pb, ps, cruise 110k mi. $2,700 OBO Call 270-646-8440...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Homes

2 BR HOUSE IN PARK CITY, APPLIANCES FURNISHED.
$350 mo. HUD approved. Call 749-2104 or 670-4720....>MORE

GREAT HOUSE IN THE CITY LIMITS,
completely remodeled, 1.5 story,3000 +/- sq. ft. 4 bed, 2 bath, 1.56 -/+ Ac. Lots of updates. Hardwood, tile, 10 ft. cei...>MORE

HIDDEN LAKE APARTMENTS.
First months rent $99. 1, 2 & 3 BR's available. We pay for water, trash & sewage. Call 270-670-5247.

...>MORE

SEARY ST. LOCATION 3300 sq. ft. 3 BR, 3 BA, LR, DR, UR
open beam den, bsmt w/ finished rec rm. Florida rm, utility rm, 2 car garage, 1 ac lot. 270-842-461...>MORE

2 BR, 1 BA APARTMENT, WATER PAID,
elec. paid up to $100, fridge, stove & air furnished, $450 mo., $200 dep. 270-576-4209....>MORE

2 BR MOBILE HOME.
$360 mo. + dep. & utilities. In small mobile home park. 202-9148 or 529-9148. Leave message....>MORE

3 BR BASEMENT APARTMENT,
and 2 BR 14x70 trailer. Call 270-678-4825 or 270-547-8922.

...>MORE

2 BR, 1 BA HOUSE IN GLASGOW,
$390 mo. $300 dep. Service animals only. Call 563-3662 or 270-799-6666.

...>MORE

1 BR, 1 BA DUPLEX, $410 MO.
includes new stove & refrig., utilities included. $200 dep. Call 270-404-0204.

...>MORE

2 BR, 1 BA APT., ALL APPLICIANCES FURN., CENTRAL
h/a, hardwood floors, $450/mo 6 mo. lease 270-670-9677....>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index