This month President Obama commuted the sentences of 46 prisoners, mostly drug offenders, and talked about the need to reform the criminal justice system, especially reviewing sentencing laws and reducing punishments for non-violent offenders. What does that mean for us, the general public and our society? Is it as simple as reforming the sentencing laws or will there be a “cascade” of other reforms needed? What about re-entry reform? Psychological and social help?

This week Denise speaks with Leonard Frieling, former judge and practicing attorney in Colorado, about this topic and what the future might bring. Mr. Frieling served as Chair of the Boulder Criminal Defense Bar for eight years, sat on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Municipal Judges Association, and was recently named Chair of the newly-formed Cannabis Law Committee of the Colorado Bar Association. He is a member of and speaker for LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) and an interested participant in the introduction of MyCanary, an app on ITUNES used to test performance after cannabis use.

As always, go to Denise’s website for more resources, information, possibilities, and hope.