tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16801508.post1868892650385372608..comments2024-02-26T01:23:43.923-06:00Comments on Loretta Nall: What...You Didn't Get the Memo?Loretta Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598106614871958352noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16801508.post-50057464515503209252008-11-18T11:57:00.000-06:002008-11-18T11:57:00.000-06:00The key here for law change in Bama....is funding....The key here for law change in Bama....is funding. Once you sit down and figure what it costs to house a guy in a county jail (63 counties) and then the state facilities...then the lightbulb comes on and folks start to think about savings.<BR/><BR/>Lets be honest...Birmingham may be a 5-star economic disaster and require federal assistance, possibly up to $1 billion...there are still other Bama towns in the 4-star, 3-star and 2-star economic status. By the end of 2009...I'm expecting federal assistance in the $3 billion range for the entire state and massive state and county budget cuts...which will surprise most everyone. <BR/><BR/>Some smart folks ought to package up the cost of housing guys at the county level for each day and how affects each counties budget. For the dimwits who sit in Montgomery...it'll be hard to argue finance if the numbers are right up front.<BR/><BR/>As for the dimwit lawyers of Bama...I would imagine that if a guy was fairly book-smart and never been to college...and studied a Bama law manual for a month....he'd pass the Bama law exam with little effort. That might say something about the quality of lawyers in the state and the necessity of attending six years of college. Not to knock any of you folks who wasted such time...but you could have done better watching Perry Mason's entire series.Schnitzel_Republichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07661743281187855265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16801508.post-34389612583260755902008-11-18T05:20:00.000-06:002008-11-18T05:20:00.000-06:00I supported Rep. Chris England on that bill last y...I supported Rep. Chris England on that bill last year. I am directly affected by it because I was charged but my case was dismissed after four years. However, it still shows up on my record so that when I travel to Canada it costs an extra thousand dollars to hire a Canadian Immigration attorney to do the paperwork that says I can enter the country. <BR/><BR/>I'm still somehwat optimistic about decrim. The legislatirs know it's time, the governor knows it's time and the prison commissioner knows its time...we just need that push.Loretta Nallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10598106614871958352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16801508.post-57781816742353718882008-11-17T20:45:00.000-06:002008-11-17T20:45:00.000-06:00I wouldn't hold my breath on decrim in Alabama... ...I wouldn't hold my breath on decrim in Alabama... but we do have a real chance at passing an expungement statute, which will allow folks with some types of criminal records to have those records cleaned up. <BR/><BR/>Long overdue IMO, and will benefit tens of thousands throughout the state.Andrew in Alabamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07449074569207828272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16801508.post-52348411215566383212008-11-17T17:48:00.000-06:002008-11-17T17:48:00.000-06:00Thanks for reading Andrew and for clarification on...Thanks for reading Andrew and for clarification on what the sentencing guidelines do. Of course, if the lawyer claims they don't apply in Alabama then my SIL is screwed either way. <BR/><BR/>I think with the impending budget crisis in AL and the rest of the US that we might have a chance to get a serious decrim discussion going in the legislature this go round. Here's hoping.Loretta Nallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10598106614871958352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16801508.post-35774307517780257492008-11-17T16:39:00.000-06:002008-11-17T16:39:00.000-06:00Loretta,You are awesome. I enjoy reading your blo...Loretta,<BR/><BR/>You are awesome. I enjoy reading your blog, which I do regularly. <BR/><BR/>The sentencing guidelines won't affect what level of offense your SIL is charged with, but will instead affect the possible (recommended) punishment for said offense. A second possession for personal use is still, regrettably, a felony in Alabama. The guidelines did nothing to change that.Andrew in Alabamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07449074569207828272noreply@blogger.com