6,000 Federal Inmates Released, Local Prosecutor Weighs in
Tazewell Co. State's Attorney supports decision, sees room for improvement

By Marvis Herring
Published 10/06 2015 10:50PMUpdated 10/06 2015 10:50PM

The decision to release thousands of non-violent offenders from federal prison should help ease the problem of prison overcrowding.

Stu Umholtz, the Tazewell County State's Attorney, said that the announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice comes at a time when the nation's federal prison population has soared 800% since the 19-80'sm putting them way over capacity.

Umholtz is on board with the release of non-violent offenders, but there's another step he says is crucial: offering services for addiction.

“For a long time, the public mood was simply tougher and tougher sentences,” said Umholtz.

That technique is not working, he said. Umholtz explained that issuing lengthy sentences to offenders of drug crimes began back in the 1980's, becoming harsher in the 90's.

“It just continued to snowball and we have an inmate population that just shot through the roof since those times.”

With limited government resources and an overflowing prison system, State's Attorney Umholtz is right on board with the release of these non-violent offenders.

“I think there will be similar efforts in the state system to try to get that inmate population under control,” he shared. “Obviously, we have a state government that's financially in dire straits and we need to figure out a way to make sure that we always have room in the prison for violent offenders because we need to focus on public safety.”

While keeping the community safe is a main focus, he also wants to see treatment services for those slapped with drug crimes.

“There's a big difference between being tough on crime and being tough on individuals and that was a sentencing system that was tough on individuals but really hasn't addressed what the problem was and that's drug addiction,” said Umholtz. “We also have a number of individuals that once they're released even after 10-12 years they're back in the system on drug offenses. so, we're not doing a good job of getting these individuals to address their addiction problems.”

Umholtz said that some drug convictions resulted in life sentences.

WMBD-TV, WYZZ-TV and Boune TV http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/6000-federal-inmates-released-local-prosecutor-weighs-in/

the war on drugs was either a huge farce or a huge failure considering how much drug addiction and drug culture has increased in our country

its sort of like the illegal immigration problem where they go after all the little folks and let the big players slide by

instead of really targeting companies and individuals who are hiring illegal immigrants (their motivation for coming),, they just keep rounding up the immigrants instead

and in the drug war, instead of stopping the drugs from coming in, going after the suppliers in force, they mostly round up as many druggies and nickel bag street dealers that they can


the easiest scapegoats are the ones in rags,,, the guys in suits continue to be admired and learn the loopholes,,,

,,,,makes little sense,,,

The CIA would have to arrest themselves if they went after "the big fish" in the drug trade

afghanistan war on drugs lol afghistan supplies the world with drugs! Record levels. Heroin so cheap its replacing pain killers. War on drugs more drugs war on terror more terror.

Our prisons are so overpopulated with drug "users"...and probation violators who got caught doing something stupid...like drinking and of course drugs...but real drug dealers...they hardly get in trouble because they are needed to provide to all the "users"...the system makes a lot of money off locking up minor offenders...jail time, "treatment" programs...ect..a lot of tax dollars go into the war on drugs..hahaha..some war..lol..

was on drugs , that should be in the joke section : )

6,000 MORE people (that are behind bars for a good reason), that will soon be out.
On top of all the previous ones Obama released. Citizens & Illegals.

All the money we waste & we can't house them? Maybe if he slowed up on the FEMA camps, took less golf vacations & his wife * cough* wouldn't take 12 people to Italy & staff & secret service ...just to buy a designer dress, he could find the money.

The war on/for drugs has been around for a long time.


The First Opium War (1839–42), also known as the Opium War and as the Anglo-Chinese War, was fought between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Qing Empire over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice for foreign nationals.[3]

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the demand for Chinese goods (particularly silk, porcelain, and tea) in the European market created a trade imbalance because the market for Western goods in China was virtually non-existent; China was largely self-sufficient and Europeans were not allowed access to China's interior. European silver flowed into China when the Canton System, instituted in the mid-17th century, confined the sea trade to Canton and to the Chinese merchants of the Thirteen Factories. The British East India Company had a matching monopoly of British trade. The British East India Company began to auction opium grown on its plantations in India to independent foreign traders in exchange for silver. The opium was then transported to the China coast and sold to Chinese middlemen who retailed the drug inside China. This reverse flow of silver and the increasing numbers of opium addicts alarmed Chinese officials.

In 1839, the Daoguang Emperor, rejecting proposals to legalise and tax opium, appointed Lin Zexu to solve the problem by abolishing the trade. Lin confiscated around 20,000 chests of opium (approximately 1210 tons or 2.66 million pounds) without offering compensation, blockaded trade, and confined foreign merchants to their quarters.[4] The British government, although not officially denying China's right to control imports of the drug, objected to this unexpected seizure and used its naval and gunnery power to inflict a quick and decisive defeat.[3]

Now..back to the topic

For a long time, the public mood was simply tougher and tougher sentences,' said Umholtz'.

And who said that the public views have changed, Obama?
----------------------------
�I think there will be similar efforts in the state system to try to get that inmate population under control,” he shared. “Obviously, we have a state government that's financially in dire straits and we need to figure out a way to make sure that we always have room in the prison for violent offenders because we need to focus on public safety.

So what he is saying is...more will be released on a state level(50 states + territories), & this is some kind of solution, because drug dealers aren't a matter of 'public safety'... because the crime they were SENTENCE for was a non- violent one.
-----------------------------
While keeping the community safe is a main focus, he also wants to see treatment services for those slapped with drug crimes.

Humm..6,000 more dealers on the street is safer. And he would like to see more treatment services?
Fat chance.. with Obama Care & mental health facilities closing nationwide & conditions making it more difficult for NON CONVICTED addicts to be admitted & a long waiting list & this administration (conveniently blaming mental illness to mass shootings, because they can't get guns off of veterans with PTSD)... They won't care about ex con's, legal or illegal?

Kill 'em all.
Let God sort 'em out.

conversation overheard in the wardens office....

whats this one in for ?

uh possession of maryjuana and all associated paraphenalia used in
the process of baking brownies....

move him out.....we need the cell space for that ex-cop convicted of
beating up that little old grandma....

It's all about money. Lawyers and judges gotta have it.

simultaneously, around the time the 'war on drugs' was being implemented,, mental health care patients were being kicked out into the streets

it about 'balance',,,

caring about only one extreme or the other will usually backfire

we pay either way,, if the mentally sick and addicted cant get help, they have to be housed some other way,,,

its just a matter of which end of the equation we want to focus on,,,I say prevention,, others will say punishment,,,

simultaneously, around the time the 'war on drugs' was being implemented,, mental health care patients were being kicked out into the streets

it about 'balance',,,

caring about only one extreme or the other will usually backfire

we pay either way,, if the mentally sick and addicted cant get help, they have to be housed some other way,,,

its just a matter of which end of the equation we want to focus on,,,I say prevention,, others will say punishment,,,

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/10/07/report-obama-has-already-released-a-third-of-the-6000-prisoners-he-plans-to-put-back-on-the-streets/

Report: Obama Has Already Released a Third of the 6,000 Prisoners He Plans to Put Back on the Streets

I wonder, did Obama open the door to Cuba for any perticular reason?
Cuba could open it's prisons again, well, now that it's free to travel and stuff. I remember Jimmy Carter, we got a few immigrants then Just wonderin...