Biden: ‘Nobody Should Be in Jail For a Nonviolent Crime’

Consider carefully what you write for it might have consequences that you have not intended. Are you aware that there are more than 2.3 million people in jail in the United States at this moment. That’s right, I’ll say it again; more than 2,300,000 people in jail today in the United States, not counting those who have done their time or or on parole. The are more people in jail in the United States than are in jail in Russia. Yes, and there are more people in custody in the United States today than are held by China, which has more than 4 times the population of the United States. Ironically, people still consider the United States to be a “free” country, when more people have their freedom taken away than in China.

You might say, well obviously Americans must be committing crimes at a rate far greater than anywhere in the world. More jail. not less, might be the way some people would thoughtlessly comment. Did you realize that If you reside in America and it is dinnertime, you have almost certainly broken the law. In his book Three Felonies a Day, civil-liberties lawyer Harvey Silverglate estimates that the average person unknowingly breaks at least three federal criminal laws every day. This toll does not count an avalanche of other laws — for example misdemeanors or civil violations such as disobeying a civil contempt order — all of which confront average people at every turn.

You might argue that the average person who breaks is simply ignorant, but you of course know better. There is no possibility that you would unknowingly break the law. This is simply not true. Did you know that the United States Code is now over 50 volumes thick, over 23,000 pages long. How many laws are there? Surprisingly no one knows for sure. Apparently, no one can count that high. In an example of a failed attempt to tally up the number of laws on a specific subject area, in 1982 the Justice Department tried to determine the total number of criminal laws. In a project that lasted two years, the Department compiled a list of approximately 3,000 criminal offenses. This effort, headed by Ronald Gainer, a Justice Department official, is considered the most exhaustive attempt to count the number of federal criminal laws. In a Wall Street Journal article about this project, “this effort came as part of a long and ultimately failed campaign to persuade Congress to revise the criminal code, which by the 1980s was scattered among 50 titles and 23,000 pages of federal law.” Or as Mr. Gainer characterized this fruitless project: “[y]ou will have died and [been] resurrected three times,” and still not have an answer to this question.

How can you be sure that haven’t broken any laws if the the Justice Department itself doesn’t know how many laws there are?

Are there any completely innocent people incarcerated? For sure. Mr. Non violent crook, you can be put away for taking a shower in your own home. The government can claim that you violated the Endangered Species Act by killing a P. humanus capitis that took residence in your hair. This species of lice has just been put on the threatened list by the US Fish and Wild life Service. Believe me , far stranger miscarriages of justice has taken place.

How can you be sure that you can prove that haven’t cheated on your taxes, if the IRS claims that you did? The IRS angrily disputes the claim that the Code is 70,000 pages long. Not true, responds the Service; it’s “only” 2,600 pages long. So the average person can be quite certain not to run afoul of the Code. Just study, the 2,600 pages and you’ll be fine.

The Service is correct bit misleading. The Code is indeed about 2,600 pages long, but this does not include the IRS regulations which directs you on how not to be in violation of the Code. These Regulations would add an estimated 5,650 to the already voluminous 2,600 pages of the Code for a total of about 8,250 pages. admittedly, it isn’t 70,000 pages, but at 8,250 that isn’t too shabby either.

So in short, is it time to close down Otisville? Way past time. Remember the Mexican drifter you paid 5 dollars to help unload your car? That’ll cost you a nickle at Otisville, if it’s still open. Free Manafort? Definitely. A terrible travesty, politics masquerading as justice. About you cheating on taxes? Never mind, you already are. Regarding the 72 inch TV? Go for it. Best Buy are bigger crooks than you’ll ever be.