Go Senator Jim Webb!!

Senator Webb may be THE political leader when it comes to drug policy reform. He is working hard in congress to make changes and gaining popularity.



To get an idea of what he is up to in an easy-read... look at this article in Parade, the mini magazine insert that goes in Sunday papers around the country.

http://webb.senate.gov/email/incardocs/parade_jimwebb.pdf



He introduced The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 in the Senate on March 26, 2009 .



He has created the "Blue Ribbon Commission", an 18 month program to address the inequalities, injustices, poor budgeting, and all of the other problems surrounding our current criminal justice and prison system.



http://webb.senate.gov/email/incardocs/FactSheeti.pdf



Exerpt:

"Why We Urgently Need this Legislation:
With 5% of the world's population, our country now houses 25% of the world's reported prisoners.

Incarcerated drug offenders have soared 1200% since 1980.

Four times as many mentally ill people are in prisons than in mental health hospitals.

Approximately 1 million gang members reside in the U.S., many of them foreign-based; and Mexican cartels operate in 230+ communities across the country.

Post-incarceration re-entry programs are haphazard and often nonexistent, undermining public safety and making it extremely difficult for ex-offenders to become full, contributing members of society. "

If video is more your thing, here is a quick overview of Webb's project on YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WRc8LPMe4I Check it out! This is exciting!