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DuPage Lawyers Are Adept At Handling Drug Cases

By: Nick Messe


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The drug problem is a very serious one worldwide, in fact it has reached epidemic proportions. Illegal drugs can pose a very serious problem because the plants are often grown in everyday neighborhoods where regular folks are bringing up their children.

You have probably heard of "grow-ops" which can be set up in a normal house or high-rise apartment building. Then there are the labs which refine the raw materials into a product that is sold on the street.

When the criminal element starts to take over an area of a city or town, problems begin. Gangs can move in and turf wars can result in increased violence and danger for citizens and police alike.

Many jurisdictions in North America have had their prisons and jails stretched to the limit as stiffer bills are passed by governments in the effort to stem the criminal element.

Canada is currently trying to get Bill C-15 passed in an effort to to reduce the risk of this criminal behavior and the resulting danger to Canadians. The bill calls for mandatory jail terms for those who produce and import or export drugs. It seems there is a big international market for Canadian marijuana. So far the bill is stuck in the senate awaiting debate.

In the United States mandatory minimum sentences enacted in the 1980s and 1990s to deal with drug offences have caused the prison population to soar. In fact there are almost two and a half million people in in jail.

The beef is that these mandatory sentences haven't done the job they were hoped to do, which was to reduce crime and drug usage in the general population.

In Illinois the penalties range from one year to one hundred years. There is Class 4 Simple Possession which carried one to three years in the Department of Corrections. This is followed by Class 3, which ranges from two to five years.

A Class 2 Possession, where the person has been accused of possession and the intent to deliver, a sentence of three to seven years is the norm. Class 1, possession with intent, delivers a four to fifteen year penalty.

Then there's Class X, which is the most serious felony. This will net anyone convicted with six to one hundred years enjoying Department of Corrections hospitality.

Many people believe that the penalties for lesser charges, such as possession for one's own use, are excessive and simply clogging the courts and prisons.

In Illinois, one of the most concerning elements of this war on drugs is that African-Americans make up ninety percent of those being sent to jail for drug related offenses. This imbalance means that if you are a black man in DuPage or Naperville, you are 57 times more apt to land up in jail on drug convictions than if you were white. Interestingly, voters in this state overwhelmingly prefer treatment for the person rather than jail time.

If you are charged with a drug offense in DuPage or Naperville you should seek out the services of a good Dupage DUI lawyer who have the familiarity with all the court rules and the laws pertainng to these types of cases.

Do your research and you will find that a good DuPage or Naperville DUI lawyer has the experience to guide your case through the courts, winning a light sentence and keeping you out of jail.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Martin and Kent are tough, experienced Dupage criminal attorneys. As former Felony Prosecutors they are committed to one goal - winning your case! They are well established attorneys with a successful winning track record in DuPage and Naperville criminal trials ranging from DUI to Murder - www.martinandkent.com

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