Another story of interest in the news that struck a chord with me involved a woman that escaped a prison that happens to be very near to where I live (Scott Correctional Facility) in 1976.
I drive by this facility every so often and see groups of women surrounded by barbed wire and then surrounded again by suburbia; must be disconcerting for the women to watch normal life go on right outside their prison. In 1976 this place was in the boonies with only fields and woods around.
Anyway, Susan LeFavre was convicted of selling drugs to an undercover narc when she was a young woman (19) and sentenced to 10-20 years under then current Michigan Drug Laws.
After one year, she walked away from the prison (easy to escape I guess) and just recently has been arrested and is on her way back to Michigan from San Diego where she has been living a privileged life as Marie Walsh. She became a mother and a wife, stayed out of trouble and contributed to the welfare of her community.
As you may imagine, opinions on what top do with her are flying all around.
In my case, just as my views on prostitution, I feel very strongly that “drugs” should be legalized and controlled. We obviously will never win the “war on drugs” but we can control them and minimize their detrimental affects on people and the community by de-criminalizing them.
I have already addressed the issue in detail as to how this would be carried out but let me just remind you that drug lords, drug gangs, killing for drug money, etc. would be eliminated so think of a world without all that if you can.
I am saying this up-front because I feel laws criminalizing the use and sale of drugs and, especially in Michigan, instituting totally absurd penalties for their use and sale as a societal aberration that is absolutely improper and without any redeeming purpose.
Yes, you say, but these are our laws and should be obeyed and I would have to agree with you but in this specific case of Marie Walsh who was given an absurd sentence for a dubious crime (my opinion), and leading an exemplary life, free of any crime for thirty two (32) years – I think she should be left alone and allowed to return to her family. Punishing her at this point would serve absolutely no purpose.
Some say we need to teach a lesson here so people will not think that it is OK to do what she did. I will agree with part of that but when the crime is about drugs and not a “real” crime; for me this negates normal rules of jurisprudence.
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