Community post

Four Years Ago Today

October 1, 2017

Today marks four years that Ross Ulbricht has been incarcerated. He was recently moved from New York to USP-high Florence, Colorado, a maximum-security prison where the Bureau of Prisons puts its most violent offenders. This is not because Ross is violent, but because of his excessive sentence of double life plus 40 years, without parole.

All Ross’ charges are non-violent; he is a first-time offender, and has no history of violence. No victims came forward at trial to say Ross had harmed them in any way. It is quite the opposite, as demonstrated by 100 letters to the judge. In addition, there are many questions about the investigation and trial, including corrupt government agents, precluded evidence and Constitutional violations.

Ross’ designation score, which the BOP uses to place people, is a 12. Even including the charges, that score is so low that it places Ross in a low security prison with non-violent people. He scores one point up from a camp – which has no fences. But because of the sentence issued by Judge Katherine Forrest he is in a USP with violent gangs.

Judge Forrest could have given Ross the mandatory minimum of twenty years, which is a very long sentence – a generation. But that wasn’t enough for Judge Forrest. Neither was 60 years. Judge Forrest was not satisfied with anything less than Ross leaving the prison as a corpse. And taxpayers will pay over $1 million to keep us “safe” from Ross.

Ross is not unique. Life sentences have quintupled since the ‘80s and the drug war. 17,000 people, like Ross, are serving life today for non-violent charges.

Denied appeal by the 2^nd Circuit, Ross is preparing to petition the Supreme Court. It is Ross’ hope-- and ours-- that this and his case will shine a light on the rampant abuses in our criminal justice system and the misery the drug war is inflicting (while not curtailing drug use at all). This is our aim, not just for Ross, but for the multiple thousands of people and their families whose lives are being destroyed.

It is a sad anniversary today, but we remain hopeful that Ross will find relief and ultimately be free. And that our criminal justice system will become one that is humane and effective.

FreeRoss.org

Replies (357)

I have voted for and re-steemed this post. I should point out however, that although you speak of non-violent crimes, the Link posted in @wondergirl's reply refers to a Wikipedia entry which reveals that the charges were for money-laundering, drug trafficking, identity theft and other very serious internet fraud related crimes, and while they may seem non-violent, they fund and facilitate drug cartels, terrorist organisations and, organised crime, sex-trafficking and illicit weapons transactions.

I would say that these crimes are far more serious than a string of murders, rapes, kidnappings or even a shooting spree as they facilitate all of these and far more in large numbers, especially as the 'silk road' dark-net operation was a hive of underworld activity of this nature.

I believe in a correction approach which does not put offenders together to foster an osmosis of negative characteristics but rather an environment of increased nurture as people with criminal intent are normally deficient in aspects of social and personal skills.

I do not believe that the punishment in this case is fitting.

It is inappropriate however, to promote this agenda on the grounds of non-violent crime without providing the omitted information.

Those who are up-voting this post aught to be fully apprised of the nature of the crimes in question so that they can make an educated decision rather than simply responding to a bleeding-heart appeal for the 'victim/perp' in a case they are led to believe is non-violent.

This is akin to saying that a heroin producer is non-violent since he does not personally kill anyone. His violence lies in his generation of wealth through the destruction of others through facilitating and promoting drug abuse.

The crimes this man was convicted of most certainly represent some of the most violent, pernicious, henous the world has ever seen and are an extremely serious threat to all as the facilitation of a network like the silk-road in question results in far higher levels of cooperation between entities which destroy society.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

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