Coming from Thibodaux, Louisiana, I should be proud of the fact that our state has reached the number one status on any list compared to the rest of the world. Too bad this status is for incarceration, according to sources such as prisonpolicy.org, Nola.com and southernstudies.org. 

Worse, the “New York Times” article “U.S. prison population dwarfs that of other nations” says, “The United States has 2.3 million criminals behind bars, more than any other nation. China, which is four times more populous than the United States, is a distant second, with 1.6 million people in prison.” 

Not only do I find this information appalling, but it leads to many other issues for our state due to the high intake of prisoners, such as economic issues in society due to the financial budget of keeping prison doors open. 

I am all for banning drugs in our society, but marijuana possession seems a far lesser evil than crimes such as rape and murder. Yet, according to Nola.com, possible punishments for marijuana possession in Louisiana is a fine of $500 and six months of jail time for the first offense, $2,500 and five years of prison time for the second offence and a $5,000 fine and 20 years of prison for the third offense. 

Furthermore, Nola.com explains how costly it is for Louisiana’s taxpayers in paying taxes to fund prisons. In 2012, the state spent $19 million on the incarceration and supervision of those in prison for possession of marijuana.

While I am not condoning the legalization of marijuana use outside of medical benefit, I find it atrocious that people who commit worse crimes have an easier sentence. 

For example, Denver Post explains how preacher Marvin Brooker was arrested for a misdemeanor charge of suspicion of possession on drug paraphernalia. He did resist arrest, but when “four deputies lay on top of the 135-Brooker while a fifth discharged a Taser into his legs [and afterwards] Brooker was carried face-down into a holding cell [while] a deputy remained on top of him for another 90 seconds to two minutes,” I find it an unnecessary use of violent forces. 

Furthermore, the fact that no charges were made against the police officers because Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey believes the deputies’ use was justified as a result of Booker’s refusal to cooperate is as insane as saying the police were justified in how they handled the Ferguson situation. 

Another horrifying example is an event that happened in Alabama where a convicted rapist, Austin Clem, was charged but faced no jail time. 

According to a CNN report, “Limestone Country Judge James Woodroof handed down jail terms for 20 years for the forcible rape and 10 years each for the second-degree rape charges, to run concurrently, but he suspended those sentences. Instead, he opted for three community corrections sentences of two years plus three years of supervised probation, to be carried out concurrently. Clem must register as a sex offender, but if he follows all the guidelines, he will stay out of prison.”

Politicians as well as lawyers need to get on the ball and really think of how people are doing hard time for minor charges such as possession of a joint while rapists are able opt out of doing hard time. 

One of the easiest ways to fix incarceration problems in Louisiana would be to have those doing the worst crimes of human nature put in jail for a long period of time and those who do minor crimes, such as possession, doing alternative sentencing, such as probation, community service or house arrest. 

The most logical way to solve the problem of the overcrowding of jails due to incarceration is to have a role-reversal of who is put in jail for the longest time compared to those who are able to avoid jail time.