A PUNISHMENT WORSE THAN A CRIME

I was addicted to crack cocaine and my life was one that California's criminal justice system saw fit to discard. When I got the treatment I needed, I was able to summon the strength to find a way out.

Right now, there is a bill in Sacramento that will help to stop the waste - in lives and dollars - that's endemic to California's over-incarceration crisis.

Senate Bill 1506 (D-Leno) revises the penalty for the simple possession of drugs under state law from a felony to a misdemeanor. Please ask your state senator to support this important reform when it comes up for a vote before the end of the month.

Why is this bill so smart? This bill:

• saves $1 billion over five years by reducing prison and jail spending.
• allows local and state government to dedicate resources to probation, drug treatment and mental health services, which have proven most effective in reducing crime.
• frees up law enforcement resources to focus on more serious offenses.

California can no longer afford to continue locking up thousands of people each year and branding them "felon" for life simply for possessing a small amount of illicit drugs for personal use.

David Moss Playwright and Activist ACLU of Southern California

Join the ACLU and 100 other organizations - from drug treatment to law enforcement to civil rights - in encouraging our state senators to get smarter on crime, starting with SB 1506.

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Action Alert Time for California to get smart on crime, put the War on Drugs behind.     For low-level drug offenders, treatment – not incarceration – is effective crime prevention. California can no longer afford to continue locking up thousands of people each year for years on end and branding them "felon" for life simply for possessing a small amount of illicit drugs for personal use. The waste, in dollars and lives, is far too great. State Senator Mark Leno is sponsoring Senate Bill 1506 to revise the penalty for the simple drug possession under state law from a felony a misdemeanor. The legislation will free up  funding that can be used effectively to help more people get the treatment they need. It will  help to safely relieve overcrowding in our jails and prisons. And it will remove barriers to  community reintegration that work against sobriety and public safety. Tell your state senator to support SB 1506 for meaningful drug law reform in California. Note: SB 1506 does not change the penalty for sales, manufacturing, transportation or  possession for sale. "Everybody here should be calling their representatives,  sending letters, flooding the place, saying 'we don't want  people branded felons for the rest of their lives because  they were once caught with drugs'." -- Michelle Alexander Author of "The New Jim Crow"