HAMMOND - At least six federal convicts from Northwest Indiana applied this month to have their prison time for crack cocaine convictions reduced in what observers are calling the first trickle before a flood of similar appeals nationwide. The appeals in U.S. District Court in Hammond follow a recent federal decision to loosen sentencing rules on crack offenses. "Across the district, hundreds will be affected," said Jerry Flynn, executive director of the Federal Community Defenders Office in Hammond. "We've identified all of our former clients who may be eligible and sent them letters. There are hundreds." [continues 325 words]
Authorities said the federal arrests of a 12 heroin dealers in Porter, Lake and Cook counties two months ago has produced a list of several dozen users who keep the drug trade thriving. The users didn't get charged, but drug enforcement officials have visited their homes to deliver a face-to-face message to give up their habits or face criminal charges. "They got notified: If they were dealing with these people, they were not far from joining them in jail," said Don Rospond, leader of the Northern Indiana Office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. "Their options are few. They're either going to end up on the street, in jail or dead." [continues 294 words]
Lowdown On Lockups: Paying Bonds In Timely Manner One Key To Lowering Population CROWN POINT -- When a group of inmates at the Lake County Jail got into a scuffle regarding some smuggled marijuana one Friday afternoon, Assistant Warden Yvonne Haley had options to deal with the fight. Never mind how a male prisoner can smuggle drugs on his person into a jail. Haley had to find out if anyone had contraband, and to do that she would have to empty out the cell before it could be swept. [continues 627 words]
Chief Vows To Continue Cleaning Up Department EAST CHICAGO | East Chicago police Sgt. Roosevelt Howard is on administrative leave because the FBI discovered him at a home in which agents were executing a search warrant for narcotics, city police said. Following widespread speculation regarding why Howard was suspended last week, Police Chief Angelo Machuca said in a written statement Thursday that Howard is on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation into his brush with the FBI. "I have committed to clean up this department, and I will continue to stand to that commitment," Machuca's statement says. [continues 197 words]
Hammond: Judge Says Adequate Work Performed To Justify Contracts HAMMOND - Without contracts or detailed invoices, two local attorneys have drawn checks for at least $15,000 each to work as consultants helping to set up a program that has yet to receive funding to operate. The attorneys met regularly as part of a planning group for a future drug court program, but it's not clear what work was performed for their $1,458 monthly payments. Their invoices don't say, and contracts referenced in the bills don't appear to exist. [continues 948 words]
Does this mean that legal drug use does not? Filko asserts that marijuana "adds nothing to civilized society or to human productivity." What about alcohol (see numerous articles from CDT on the alcohol-induced arts festival riot)? The author's argument is a moral one, that abusing intoxicating or hallucinogenic substances is tantamount to Iying to oneself by distorting reality. Should we also make Iying to ourselves illegal? The article ignores the issue of hemp. To those who support laws compelling others to do what we think is best for them: Must we also ban hemp as an alternative to deforestation and dependence on petroleum-based, oil-producing countries? Joel Carlson State College [end]
