Transcript
APWA, My name is William Liepe born and raised on a 600 acre farm to German ancestry. Currency family members are struggling to keep the farm above water without my help as I was incarcerated by an unfair system to an unfair term. I write in hope people will see the flaws in our legal system and change laws to keep good law abiding, honest, hard working, productive members of society out of prison. As I did, many people believe our legal system is doing a good job as it was intended. They believe DOC stands for Department of Corrections as it should. Today it’s more Department of Corruption than ever intended. There are far too many persons held in prisons that need to be, or should be, especially the people over 62. One reason for the now aging prison populations is the mandatory minimum sentence requirements. Mandatory minimum sentence requirements are costing tax payers billions of dollars, which we can’t afford. Mandatory minimums actually prevent the DOC from operating as a means to rehabilitate and return people to society, causing overcrowding in all prisons, which then robs funding and reducing rehabilitation programs further adding to our problems. From my own experience I see many older inmates that should be productive society members rather than burdens on tax payers. Enacting mandatory minimum sentence requirements was a mistake, period, in all but capitol murder cases perhaps. There needs to be urgency now in repealing those laws that never accomplish anything and cost dearly. If only I were free could I take my place on our farm which is itself a great asset to my community. How many other great assets are imprisoned, far too many. Mandatory minimums cost money, ruin many lives and to be repealed. William Liepe
