Jon Kirkpatrick

3 weeks ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano |Jon Kirkpatrick

The current legislative session has seen dozens of proposals to create or enhance criminal penalties for fentanyl-related charges, many of which are still in play or have already been passed. Lower thresholds for mandatory minimum sentences are gaining ground almost everywhere. For example, an Indiana bill currently under review in the House would lower the threshold weights that trigger existing penalties for fentanyl- and methamphetamine-related convictions.

1 month ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano |Jon Kirkpatrick

On March 25, Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) signed a wide-ranging bill purportedly focused on the state’s criminal-legal statutes, but that also includes a line item prohibiting use of state funding to operate syringe service programs (SSP). Utah authorized SSP in 2016, but has never directly funded them.

1 month ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano |Jon Kirkpatrick

On March 14, the Senate passed legislation that would permanently ban fentanyl-related substances (FRS) under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. S. 331, better known as the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act, would escalate the mass incarceration crisis by fast-tracking prosecution of cases involving any substance with a chemical structure similar to fentanyl, even if the substance is inert. The Senate approved the legislation by a vote of 84-16.

1 month ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano |Jon Kirkpatrick

Data from the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) show that under 7 percent of people convicted in recent federal overdose cases represented high-ranking members of organized drug trafficking groups. More than half were found to be street-level distributors, who in most cases tried to help the victim if they could, and still received longer sentences than people convicted in non-overdose trafficking cases.

1 month ago | filtermag.org | Kastalia Medrano |Jon Kirkpatrick

Colorado legislators have proposed a working group to study the use of colorimetric drug tests within the criminal-legal system, and identify less-harmful alternatives. The group would analyze both court proceedings as well as internal disciplinary processes of prisons and jails, where the tests have a profound impact on day-to-day life.