VOA标准英语2012--Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentences Controversial in US
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(五月)
Mandatory 1 Minimum Drug Sentences Controversial in US
In April of 1998, twins Lawrence and Lamont Garrison 2 were about to graduate from Howard University in Washington. Both worked at the U.S. Justice Department and planned to attend law school. Then, they got the shock of their lives.
The man who had repaired their car a year earlier was indicted 3 for cocaine 4 and crack distribution. He told drug agents that the Garrisons 5 had been involved in the drug conspiracy 6.
"They questioned me and showed me a picture of Tito Abea. They said, 'Have you ever seen this guy? And I said, 'Yes, he fixed 7 my car,'" recalled Lawrence Garrison.
The Garrisons found themselves trapped on the darker side of federal laws that set mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses 9, laws intended to make it easier to prosecute 10 drug kingpins.
The garage owner faced a mandatory 10 years to life in prison. The only way to reduce that sentence was to implicate 11 someone else, the Garrisons.
Critics of mandatory sentences say that is a common practice in drug cases. They also say the people implicated 12 often have nothing to do with the crime.
"So they will give someone up. Other times, people actually make up names, and say, 'Well, yes, so and so did this. I saw him one time,'" explained Julie Stewart, president of Families Against Mandatory Minimum Sentences.
Lamont Garrison remembers being offered the opportunity to reduce his time.
"They said, O.K. Mr. Garrison, this is your opportunity to help yourself. 'Well help myself? How? What do you mean?' 'Well you know what this is about you guys are doing XYZ, you got to tell us what you are doing,'" recalled Lamont Garrison.
The opportunity to reduce one's sentence can lead to innocents being fingered for crimes they didn't commit.
"They call it the best tool in their arsenal 13. Because they can hold a hammer over a defendant's head and say either you give us more Information or you are going to get a five or 10 year sentence," said Stewart.
But the Judicial 14 Conference of the U.S. opposes to mandatory minimum sentences because they tie judges hands.
The Garrisons were never charged with possession, just conspiracy, and maintain they knew nothing about the drugs. They say they refused to lie and ruin someone else's life.
A federal jury in Virginia convicted the Garrisons on the testimony 15 of the garage owner and his brother. Prosecutors 16 presented no other evidence against them. Julie Stewart says public outcry over drug violence at the time played a role.
"There was an enormous sensitivity around the crack cocaine issue that I think you could have taken just about anybody to trial and charge them with some sort of crack cocaine offense 8 and found them guilty," Stewart added.
Lawrence served 12 years in prison, his brother almost 14. The garage owner who implicated them was sentenced to 18 months. The brothers no longer have any interest in the law. They say the system is corrupt 17 and that federal mandatory minimum sentences play a big role.
- It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
- There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。
- The troops came to the relief of the besieged garrison.军队来援救被围的守备军。
- The German was moving to stiffen up the garrison in Sicily.德军正在加强西西里守军之力量。
- The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
- He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。
- That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
- Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。
- I've often seen pictures of such animals at the garrisons. 在要塞里，我经常看到这种动物的画片。
- Use a Black Hand to garrisons, and take it for yourself. 用黑手清空驻守得步兵，为自己占一个。
- The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
- He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。
- Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
- Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。
- I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
- His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。
- It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
- I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
- Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？
- He didn't find anything in the notebooks to implicate Stu.他在笔记本中没发现任何涉及斯图的东西。
- I do not want to implicate you in my problem of the job.我工作上的问题不想把你也牵扯进来。
- These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
- We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。
- He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
- Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。
- The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
- He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。
- In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
- You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。