A 21-year-old woman in the small town of Hawley, Pennsylvania is facing life in prison for selling heroin to a person who then died of an overdose. Brittany Ann Banscher is being charged under a new initiative that’s aggressively targeting heroin trafficking in Pennsylvania. It’s part of a growing number of states that are using “drug dealer liability” or “death by delivery” laws to stringently punish drug dealers. An earlier version of Pennsylvania’s law was ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court.
Anna Merlan: Woman Charged Under ‘Death by Delivery’ Law With Selling Heroin That Led to Overdose
Comments Welcome:
Across the board sentencing crimes in the US, or each state?
Would that help eliminate disparate punishments and court costs?
For example:
After receiving a driver’s license should there be a standard sentence for all criminal acts while driving? Raise the legal age for driving to 18, they could then be sentenced as adults. First time offense equates to x punishment. Each re-offense for the same act doubles or triples the punishment. Age, race and gender is not a consideration with the severity of the crime.
Is the reason for the crime a consideration for sentencing? A crime of mercy such as assisted suicide?
How does equate the crime to the damage of the victim? Age of the perpetrator and age of the victim(s). Physical and psychological damages? Long term effects of the crime?
Right now my focus is on physical and/or mental cruelty. if the act is posted on the internet, it can not be erased. It is a perpetual hell for the victim.
Bullying is another criminal topic.
I am going to stop for now~
