The war on drugs has been going since the sixties and the only thing it has accomplished is violence and corruption. I believe we should focus on addiction. Treatment is far cheaper than incarceration.

In Maryland and many other states if a citizen has ever been convicted of a felony no matter how small or how long ago many of that citizens right are restricted. The only appeal available is to the governor who does not sign pardons. Well maybe once in a blue moon. After 10, 20, or 30 years of having a clean record and having contributed to society a citizen should be able to apply for pardon to a judge or more local representative who would by established criteria grant or reject the application.

In 2010, my then nine year-old child came forward with information of sexual abuse which occurred at the hands of her father. Children and Youth found her father guilty of penetration (this was pre the change in the definition of rape), in August of 2010. He was initially charged with three criminal aggravated sexual assault counts, and held in state prison for over a year, as the new charges were a violation of his probation (he was on parole out of NV for drug trafficking, unbeknownst to me). However, the DA dropped the sex charges in Sept. 2011, because as they told me, "he had passed a lie detector test." Now, since his release from prison in Dec. 2011, I have had to pay $5,000 (my house tax monies) to legally keep my child from her rapist. $2500 was for the lawyer to file and attend the pfa hearing (pfa=restraining order), and another $2500 for when he filed an appeal on the PFA (even though he only filed the appeal and never actually went through with doing his end of the paperwork). My issue is this, if the State of Pennsylvania's Children and Youth found this man guilty of penetration (rape in my book, and also as defined by the Admin's new definition of rape), why is there even any discussion of him still having any rights to my child? Why must I pay to fight for what has been proven true? And what about parents who don't have the money for lawyers? Not to mention, all the atate would thus offer my child, protection wise, was a maximum of a three-year PFA (which we were lucky to get as it's up the the sitting judge's discretion). So that means, as it stands now, in three more years, my child must once again, go through another whole day in court, testifying about what this monster had done to her. It's simply not fair. Not only is it not fair to her, but it's not fair for the other children in similar situations. I would not want to see any other parent have to fight so hard for what is their child's God given right, a right of savoring their innocence. For children, and even adults, to come forward with such horrific events is challenging to say the least, and I feel it is nothing more then a punishment for the state to force them to relive their horrific events every several years, especially when their own state's Children and Youth found the child credible and the perpetrator's, guilty, of committing the act(s). Please help me continue in protecting my own child, as well as the many others' in the same situation in the state of Pennsylvania. Thank you and God bless

Our sentencing for drug and property crimes is out of control and strips away any meaningful rehabilitative chances from our fellow human beings who are afflicted with addiction issues. We are creating a society of people with records who can't find life sustaining employment, housing or success when they have served their time, further eroding our communnities.

I believe it is unethical and inhumane to ship Vermont inmates out of Vermont where they will no longer even have the limited contact with their loved ones, children, spouses and support networks that they have access to n Vermont. My son is my only child and has been shipped to KY where I lack to funds to visit or even pay for phone calls. I have had cancer in the past two years and this is extremely difficult.

The need for transparency and truth.........Most every one I know is willing to show THEIR GRADES....SHOW THEIR PASSPORTS.....it is only fair our leader do the same....not too much to ask....

My petition is about how everyday common people who have committed misdemeanors, even those committed as long as ten years ago and was dismissed. They are being denied the right to work and getting an apartment, because employers and apartment managers run a criminal background check and will not hire them or allow them to move into decent housing, even though the past offense or charge was a misdemeanor and dismissed by the courts. Young productive adults, are being denied their right of a chance to obtain employment and decent housing, because of past mistakes of many years gone by. Employers will not hire them and they desperately want and need jobs to support themselves and their families!

When Clint Eastwood delivered his "Prime Time" speech, he made more news for "talking to an empty chair" than his "Racist Lynching gesture" to President Obama. The Producers of the GOP convention did a great job of editing out his "Racist Lynching Gesture" but my DVR caught it. http://youtu.be/XRnRN69LK-c?hd=1 I am asking you to watch this video and demand Clint Eastwood apologize to President Obama and for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to stand up against RACISM and not condone it like they have with their SILENCE!! Sign this petition so we can send a message to Clint, Paul, and Mitt. Racism is not acceptable in any form.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Desmond Tutu has called on the International Criminal Court to prosecute George W. Bush and Tony Blair for war crimes, for their actions in precipitating the Iraq war. The Iraq war "has destabilized and polarized the world to a greater extent than any other conflict in history," wrote Tutu, "Those responsible for this suffering and loss of life should be treading the same path as some of their African and Asian peers who have been made to answer for their actions in the Hague.

Legalize Marijuana for personal use, with tax proceeds for rehab programs for all substance use disorders

President Obama promised the American people to close Guantanamo Bay and to prosecute those within the CIA and the US military who committed torture in the name of the people of the United States during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This late in his first and perhaps only term of office, however, the President has failed to make any significant progress toward these promises. In fact, Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced that he was closing the books on very serious allegations of torture by the CIA that led to the death of detainees. There is no intent to pursue other cases. This means that not a single case of torture by the CIA has been prosecuted by this Administration. I voted for Obama in large part due to the promises he made to hold our country to the highest standards of rule of law. As the daughter of an American military officer who served in two wars and was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal for his work toward peace in the Middle East and a Silver Star for gallantry in action, I know my father cared deeply about the honor of the US Military and was appalled by the conduct of those who did not uphold the Constitution and our international obligations under the Geneva Conventions and other treaties. My father died before the book was closed on investigations of torture but he would have been shocked by Holder's announcement. Please join in demanding justice for those held in secret detention, for those tortured in our names and for those held indefinitely without trial or hope of redress. Ask President Obama to keep his promises and to restore hope at home and abroad in the American ideals of rule of law and justice for all.

All citizens of our state form our human social family; therefore no person should be made into a commodity for monetary profit. As a concerned citizen, I urge persons to join in this patriotic effort to end the continued practice of building private prisons for profit by signing this petition.