First of all, criminality in not male or female, white, black, hispanic, or any other label that we want to attach. This is not a sentencing structure issue. The issue is horrible legislation!

The true issue with the female incarcerated population, especially pertaining to the drug trade, begins long before sentencing. We lost “the war on drugs.” Bad! This was a huge failure! Our response was to enact laws that went after people that only had residual involvement. This legislation is toxic, this is where the reform is truly needed.

We need to stop trying to make ourselves better by cutting off the tail of the snake, and go straight for the head. If the laws do not make sense, are not right, do not positively impact society, we need to demand a change. The issue, or the head, in this instance, is legislation. We have become numb to what we allow our politicians do without regard to how it impacts the nation.

In your response to your peers, consider how well they justified their positions, making use of available resources. Consider the following questions in your response posts:

• Did they support their position convincingly with appropriate resources?
• Which of their points make the most sense to you, even if you made a case for the opposing viewpoint?