Felony Friday: Grandfather Set Free After Twenty Years In Prison for Pot Convictions
I’ve been writing this column for almost two and a half years and sometimes, to be completely honest, I forget how incredibly uncivilized and brutal so many in our society remain towards those who have been convicted of using or possessing illegal drugs.It’s hard to fault people for holding these views, because so many are fed an irrational justification for the War on Drugs. Early in life children are taught that drugs are dangerous, that black market drug sales are dangerous, and that anyone who sells or buys drugs deserves to rot in jail. These views are embedded in our youth and woven into the laws that govern our daily lives.Instead of studying the negative effects drugs could have on a life, young people are force-fed an anti-drug agenda that presents prohibition and criminal punishment as the most effective methods to be used to deter and minimize the use of illegal drugs. For this reason, many individuals pass into adulthood without understanding the unintended consequences drug prohibition can have on society and how these restrictive laws can actually incentivize the criminal element of drug transactions. As a result, we are left with generations of people who have blindly supported the drug war, because they have never taken a serious look at the harm it is inflicting at its core.It is hard to shake people from these beliefs and it can be darn near impossible to convince otherwise rational individuals that it is inhuman to lock people in cages for years because they bought or sold an “illegal” plant. Sometimes it takes a story that pulls at the ole heartstrings to get people to understand the utter insanity of the drug laws in this county.A recent news story about a man who spent twenty-one years in prison for three non-violent marijuana convictions hopefully will serve to shake a few folks from their pro-drug war comas.The story of sixty-two-year-old Jeff Mizanskey is truly heartbreaking. Mizanskey spent twenty-one years in prison as a result of Missouri’s since-repealed three strikes style Prior and Persistent Drug Offender statute. Finally, Mizanskey was able to walk free after years of lobbying from family, friends, lawmakers, and advocates who argued that his sentence was too harsh.His son turned to change.org petition , where he pleaded for Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to grant his father clemency and talked about how his father found himself in trouble with the law:
Dad's first offense was in 1984 when he sold an ounce to an undercover informant, and then was found to possess a half pound of marijuana when police raided his house the next day. His next offense occurred in 1991, when he was caught in possession of a couple of ounces. But for my father's final strike in 1993, he became an easy fall guy in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana. My dad was driving a friend to a deal that turned out to be a sting operation. All of the other convicted men involved were set free years ago, but my dad was given a virtual death sentence.
Thankfully the Governor has heard the message and Jeff Mizanskey has finally been set free.Truth in Media reports:
62-year-old Missouri grandfather Jeff Mizanskey walked out of the Jefferson City Correctional Center on Tuesday, where he was met by a cheering crowd of friends and family members.21 years earlier, Mizanskey had been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for three non-violent marijuana convictions under Missouri’s since-repealed, three-strikes style Prior and Persistent Drug Offender statute. However, passionate and relentless protests by supporters led elected officials in Missouri to intervene, climaxing in Missouri Governor Jay Nixon’s May commutation of Mizanskey’s sentence, which granted him the opportunity for parole. In August, Missouri’s Board of Probation and Parole reviewed his case and approved his parole request.
If we want to progress as a society, then it is imperative that we stop locking people in jail cells for “crimes” that do not have victims. Jeff Mizanskey missed out on spending twenty-one years with his family. That’s time he’ll never get back and unfortunately will not be compensated for. This time has been stolen from Jeff.Criminal justice reform is a hot topic in many states across the country. Now is the time for the citizens of this country to step-up and demand that non-violent drug offender are set free.Check out the full archive of Felony Friday!The Lions of Liberty are on Twitter, Facebook & Google+Check out our YouTube Channel!Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!Join our Facebook Group: The Lions of Liberty Forum
