Tracy Ingle: Another Drug War Outrage; from Reason Magazine (US), 5/7/08

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Sylvia Sanchez

Admittedly, Sylvia Sanchez dealt in drugs; however, the system is no longer devised to meter out justice to someone such as Sylvia, who had faith that justice would prevail in the American judiciary. Indicted for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, Sylvia was certain the Judge presiding over her case would sentence her to a reasonable "time that fit the crime." Little did Sylvia know that new laws were voted in by Congress in the wake of drug war hysteria which rendered Judges powerless, removing their ability to "judge" cases according to any mitigating circumstances.

Two days into her trial, Sylvia's attorney convinced her to accept a 20 year plea bargain when the government threatened to enhance her charges to a mandatory LIFE sentence - a blackmail tool that is often effective. Once Sylvia realized that the Judge would be forced to uphold a life sentence if she was convicted, she caved in; even though the government's case was greatly based on informant testimony by other guilty participants who were willing to cooperate in order to reduce their own sentences.

Sylvia Sanchez is just one of many cases in which the system has grossly failed both the taxpayer and a woman who could better pay back her debt to society by serving a reasonable sentence and/or applying her talents in a work-release community service program, rather than serving a 20 year sentence where everyone pays and nobody wins.

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