NAACP

A helping hand after leaving jail: NAACP program helps former inmates re-adjust in society

by Ellis Smith/Times-Georgian

Four years ago the Carroll County NAACP conceived a program that would help parolees live a successful life outside of prison. With hundreds of success stories on record, the little-known program is now ready to unveil itself to the community.

On Saturday, the first annual “Another Chance” gala at the University of West Georgia Campus Center Ballroom will feature fine dining, a silent auction, and the stories of rehabilitated inmates. Proceeds will benefit the Carroll County NAACP Re-Entry Services program. The service is not for profit and works in conjunction with local businesses, Carroll County, the city of Carrollton and other local stakeholders. (more…)

By Terry Nelson
Posted: 01/11/2009

As a retired federal officer with over three decades of service, many of those years spent fighting America’s “war on drugs,” I was pleased to read that the El Paso City Council unanimously called for a long overdue discussion on the effectiveness of our nation’s drug policies.

You might be surprised that a veteran anti-drug agent would be glad the council specifically said drug legalization should be included in this new national conversation.

But in my view, based on what I saw on both sides of the border over my career, ending drug prohibition is the only sure-fire way to end the cartel violence that is terrorizing El Paso’s sister city of Ciudad Juárez and others across Mexico. (more…)

Disclaimer: The NAACP of Otero County in no way endorses the Democratic Party or the Progressive Party of Otero County, New Mexico.

The following are my notes from the Forum on Substance Abuse held by the Otero County Chapter of PDA June 25th – Ken Nicholson

The Otero County chapter of Progressive Democrats of America hosted a panel discussion on the substance abuse situation in the county. Panel members Dr. Gil Heredia, physician and chair of the Otero Libertarian Party, Sharon Hodges of the New Mexico Department of Health, and Ken Larson, Certified Peer Specialist and Recovery Mentor presented a comprehensive survey of the drug problems we are facing in Otero County to an interested audience of local activists. Al Kissling of PDA NM was the moderator.

Dr. Heredia said that the so called “War on Drugs” was having a more devastating effect on our community than the actual use of drugs. He cited the emphasis of the drug war being on law enforcement and leading to incarceration rather than treatment and rehabilitation. When those caught in the system have finished their time, they are released back into the community, still addicted, without the root of their situation being addressed. Heredia noted the high cost of incarceration versus treatment. Also, drug crimes are crimes against oneself and not directly against the community. He said that if drugs were legal, market forces would pressure dealer profits, and the supply of drugs would dwindle. One community activist added that the prison industry has lobbied for mandatory minimum sentences to the benefit of the private prison industry while removing judges’ discretion. (more…)

Submitted to the site administrator by Color of Change.org

The so-called “war on drugs” has created a national disaster: 1 in 9 young Black men in America are now behind bars.¹ It’s not because they commit more crime but largely because of unfair sentencing rules that treat 5 grams of crack cocaine, the kind found in poor Black communities, the same as 500 grams of powder cocaine², the kind found in White and wealthier communities.

These sentencing laws are destroying communities across the country and have done almost nothing to reduce the level of drug use and crime. (more…)