New Jersey Libertarian Party
PO Box 56
Tennent, NJ 07763-0056
njlp.org
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Trenton, NJ, April 26, 2016: The NJ Libertarian Party demands Governor Christie immediately commute the sentences of prisoners whose only offense involved non-violent drug offenses. At a time where the NJ State Budget must be cut, we cannot afford to imprison people who have not harmed anyone.
According to the State Department of Corrections there are 2,360 inmates being held for non-violent drug offenses. Another 664 prisoners are being held for "violations against public policy." At an average cost of $54,865 per prisoner, these prisoners are held at annual cost of over $165 million or over $450,000 per day. New Jersey already has the highest debt burden in America at $52,300 per taxpayer.
Among these prisoners is Jon Peditto. Jon was sentenced to 8 years in jail just for growing 18 marijuana plants. Governor Christie, you have a chance before you leave office to correct the injustice done to Jon and many others like him.
The New Jersey Libertarian Party has opposed the War on Drugs since our founding in 1972. Now, 45 years later, a majority of Americans favor re-legalizing marijuana.
The NJ Libertarian Party is NJ's third largest political party, founded in 1972. Our vision is for a world in which all individuals have the right to exercise sole control over their lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the rights of others to live as they choose. Our goal is to build a political party that elects Libertarians to public office and moves public policy in a libertarian direction.