Very interesting article. I’m happy to see this reform.

“EDGEFIELD, S.C. (AP) — Leroy Nolan has spent the last 26 years behind bars at a federal prison for a drug conviction. In the prison factory, he works making T-shirts, backpacks and other products that are later sold to government agencies, nonprofits and others.

But what has become a decades-long routine for Nolan behind the barbed wire, steel gates and concrete walls of FCI Edgefield, a prison in rural South Carolina, will all change on Friday when he walks out the front door. The 67-year-old is among about 2,200 federal inmates who will be released that day by the federal Bureau of Prisons under a criminal justice reform measure signed into law last year by President Donald Trump.
……
On a visit this past week to Edgefield — a facility with a medium-security prison and minimum-security camp — Attorney General William Barr took a firsthand look at some of the programs in place, from computer skills to cooking, auto mechanic training and factory work. He met with prison staff and a handful of inmates, including some who will be released early under the First Step Act…”

https://apnews.com/2344999112e3444ba2abbb1181eb9e32

quote:

On a visit this past week to Edgefield — a facility with a medium-security prison and minimum-security camp — Attorney General William Barr took a firsthand look at some of the programs in place, from computer skills . . . He met with prison staff and a handful of inmates, including some who will be released early under the First Step Act.

Prisons are giving convicted felons computer skills and then turning them loose to launch the next round of scams, fraud, and identity theft. This is a good idea?

quote:

Leroy Nolan has spent the last 26 years behind bars at a federal prison for a drug conviction.

I always love it when the press puts it out like that.....ohhh that poor man was convicted on a drug offense and pent 26 years in prison.....NOT!!!!!!!! He and a guy named Henderson ran a drug trafficking ring in Rockford Illinois and regularly carried a firearm while drug trafficking!!!

Link to their appeal which lists all their crimes: https://www.courtlistener.com/...son-and-leroy-nolan/ or https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us...circuit/1198917.html

Some excerpts:

1

Defendants Michael Henderson and Leroy Nolan ("Leroy") were convicted of conspiring to distribute cocaine base, distributing cocaine base, and using a firearm in relation to drug trafficking crimes. In this joint appeal, both men challenge their convictions for sufficiency of the evidence. Additionally, Leroy contests the admission of certain evidence, while Henderson disputes the quantity of drugs attributed to him for sentencing purposes and objects to an enhancement he received for obstructing justice. We now affirm the convictions and Henderson's sentence in all respects except that we reverse and remand with regard to the amount of drugs credited to Henderson.


2

Henderson and Leroy were indicted, together with Albert Edwards and Terry Wilson, on July 27, 1993, of conspiring to distribute cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec. 846, and using a firearm during the commission of drug trafficking crimes, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 924(c). Henderson also was charged with distributing 8 grams of cocaine base on June 29, 1993, in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1). He, Wilson, and Leroy were indicted for distributing 10 grams of cocaine base on June 29, 1993, also in violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1). The United States filed a superseding indictment on November 23, 1993, changing only the end date of the conspiracy from July 27, to July 28, 1993.
3

Henderson and Leroy's joint trial was severed from that of Edwards and Wilson. At Henderson and Leroy's trial, the government called two cooperating witnesses to testify regarding the conspiracy and other charges. Bryant Nolan ("Bryant"), stated that he had sold cocaine base for Henderson since mid-1992. He began by selling $10 bags in Rockford, Illinois, but soon changed his territory to Streator, Illinois. Henderson provided Bryant with packs of cocaine base, each of which contained $300, then $1,000, worth of the drug in smaller bags of $10 or $20 amounts. Eventually, Bryant was selling $1,500 worth of cocaine base per week.
4

Later, Bryant switched back to Rockford, selling cocaine base for Henderson out of various drug houses run by Henderson. Bryant testified that he spent a considerable amount of time between April 16 and July 28, 1993, at Henderson's Rockford residence at 1019 Irving. He stated that Henderson bought cocaine in kilogram quantities, purchases financed by Henderson, Leroy, Edwards, and another man, Lawrence Jackson. Bryant asserted that Henderson would "cook" the cocaine and then package the resulting cocaine base, commonly known as crack, in $10 or $20 bags. Bryant testified that Henderson stored large amounts of drugs at the Irving apartment and sometimes sold from that location. Bryant additionally recalled that while involved with the Henderson organization, he and others carried guns and, after an attempted robbery of the Irving location in June, 1993, kept firearms there.

He's 67 so I doubt he will make a lot of use of his newfound job skills.
He'll either be out earning by some other wrongdoing on end up being supported by the taxpayers in some other fashion.

“I always love it when the press puts it out like that.....ohhh that poor man was convicted on a drug offense and pent 26 years in prison.....NOT!!!!!!!! He and a guy named Henderson ran a drug trafficking ring in Rockford Illinois and regularly carried a firearm while drug trafficking!!!”


No, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong- drug use is a victimless crime and we’d all be better off if they were made legal, because every single person in the world is as smart, even tempered, and recognizing that all things in moderation is the norm.

Or some other such bullshit.

They should be focusing on the couple dozen people that were jailed on simple marijuana possession, rather than turds like this guy.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
<snip>
No, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong- drug use is a victimless crime and we’d all be better off if they were made legal, because every single person in the world is as smart, even tempered, and recognizing that all things in moderation is the norm.
<snip>

Similar comments were made about alcohol during the prohibition era.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
<snip>
No, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong- drug use is a victimless crime and we’d all be better off if they were made legal, because every single person in the world is as smart, even tempered, and recognizing that all things in moderation is the norm.
<snip>

Similar comments were made about alcohol during the prohibition era.

So what's your point?
Or is this another how great we'd all be if all drugs and it's use were totally legal?

"Prison" or "Criminal Justice" reform is about pruning costs, and nothing about justice.

Each time the state or feds "reform" the criminal justice system, it keeps the people that should be in jail out a whole lot longer. What does that mean to society? More shit is being stolen, drugs peddled, people killed and whatnot.

The prison system used to be a "or else" in society. Some learned from it, others did not. Now, it is a quasi-social services organization where we spend millions to coddle prisoners. We also spend millions (or more) to teach them a trade. We spend millions. The taxpayer. Which is pretty funny, because we continue to hear how we can't afford to house prisoners and we need to early release "first time drug offenders". Which is a GIANT lie. No one goes to jail for a "first time drug offense". They go to jail for all the other dirt they do. And it is usually after they have been given 17 chances at probation or alternative sentencing before they are actually locked up.

I tell people constantly when I hear them complain about someone being on the street that shouldn't be that it isn't the fault of the judges or cops. It is the legislature and their "reforms". I know of a guy who in the last 6 years has been sentenced in four cases to over 50 years. And he is on the street. More specifically, he is a suspect in a half dozen burglaries. And fuck knows what else.

On my level, we keep hearing how the jail can't afford to keep inmates in. But, in the last five years, they spent $150k on tractors for an acre garden that produces a couple hundred dollars worth of vegetables per year. We are presently spending a couple of hundred thousand to teach inmates to weld and be a deck hand. Oh, did I mention that the garden is empty and the tractors and equipment are now idle?

And I LOVE the prohibition argument. When I see someone make that dumbass argument, I essentially hope that they get all their stuff stolen by this "victimless" type criminal. If you are so dumb or naive to believe this, here's to hoping you get what you deserve. Because the rest of us have figured out the problem.

Maybe people will wake up. Maybe they won't and we'll keep kicking the can down the road. Either way, criminal justice reform is not the law abiding citizen's friend.

Until we put consequences back in society, this is the society we deserve. And the fault falls on each of us for not demanding this silly reform shit stop, and demanding that jails go back to being the consequence for bad behavior. Because that is what we are talking about in this thread is consequence. We can fall for an emotionally slick written article about an armed career criminal, or we can see it for what it is. Each time there is a mass shooting, you hear people bellyache that we need to "enforce the laws on the books" that we don't need new laws. And this is what it looks like when we do. You seriously need to make up your mind how you want it.

^ ^ ^ ^ Outstanding post.

It doesn't matter, almost all convicts get out. They either re-offend or they don't Just secure your stuff and be ready to defend yourself.

^^^^^^100% agreement. JlJones hit the nail on the head with that post.

Nobody goes to prison for a drug offense without failing felony probation multiple times first. It's not a simple hook a goober for possession of mj and sentence him to 29 years which is how it gets portrayed. They earn these sentences.

1% of inmates are good people who made a mistake. The rest are crooks who got caught for just 20% of the crimes they committed.

Colorado's Division of Adult Parole grants parole to anyone with a body temperature. The failure rate was so high that Parole Officers were directed to give parolees 5 warnings before violating them and taking them to jail. That's the reality of prison reform. It's all about prison population numbers, not public safety or the myth of rehabilitation.

quote:

Originally posted by john1:
^^^^^^100% agreement. JlJones hit the nail on the head with that post.

1% of inmates are good people who made a mistake. The rest are crooks who got caught PLEA BARGAINED for just 20% of the crimes they committed.

Good post, but FIFY...

Incarceration is expensive. Older inmates in particular are even more costly. The Federal prison system is a much different place than state institutions. It is all about the money. Nothing more.

quote:

Originally posted by john1:


Colorado's Division of Adult Parole grants parole to anyone with a body temperature.

Colorado Division of Adult Parole grants no-one parole. The State Parole Board comprised of Governor appointed members grants parole. You aint seen nothin' yet! Problem is bedspace and jail backlogs. When you have 1% bedspace available and a massive backlog of new customers waiting in the wings, you have to do something. Re-opening shuttered facilities isn't on the agenda at this point.

The parole officers supervising offenders have limited sanctions they can impose. They can recommend a brief period of incarceration at a county jail -except, even at the county jails who will participate, there is very limited bedspace due to the folks waiting to go to state facilities. Add in that there is little appetite in the increasingly liberal cities for adding new county jail facilities and it becomes a sad farce.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DetonicsMk6,

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

On a visit this past week to Edgefield — a facility with a medium-security prison and minimum-security camp — Attorney General William Barr took a firsthand look at some of the programs in place, from computer skills . . . He met with prison staff and a handful of inmates, including some who will be released early under the First Step Act.

Prisons are giving convicted felons computer skills and then turning them loose to launch the next round of scams, fraud, and identity theft. This is a good idea?

No, and neither is giving street thugs in prison barbell / weight sets so they can build strength for when they are released, back to the streets.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
He's 67 so I doubt he will make a lot of use of his newfound job skills.
He'll either be out earning by some other wrongdoing on end up being supported by the taxpayers in some other fashion.

Yeah, 67. Social Security and Medicare.

Well I guess that gets us a little vote bump in some minority communities.