Aaron Malin on Jeff Mizanskey’s Life Sentence for Marijuana

Jeff
Mizanskey is serving a life sentence without parole for marijuana.
He has been in prison for 21 years ago, and is the only person in
Missouri sentenced to die behind bars for marijuana, a victim of
the state’s rather unique three strikes law. Around half of states
have some type of three strikes law on the books. In almost all of
these states the statutes apply to violent crimes—murder, rape,
assault with a deadly weapon, etc. In Missouri, Jeff racked up all
three strikes without ever committing an act of violence. He was a
working class guy with a small side gig as a low-level pot dealer.
He never hurt anyone, never brandished a weapon, and never sold to
children. 

All of Mizanskey’s appeal options have been exhausted, writes
Aaron Malin. Unless the Governor of Missouri grants Jeff clemency
and sets him free, he will likely die in prison.

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