Thirty-five-year-old Cornell Hood II was sentenced to life in prison by a Slidell, La., judge on Thursday after receiving his fourth marijuana-possession conviction. In February, a jury found Hood guilty of attempting to possess and distribute marijuana in his home.
Hood moved to Slidell from New Orleans after he admitted to charges of distribution of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute in December 2009. He was then sentenced to a suspended five-year prison sentence and five years of probation — the exact same sentence he was given in 2005 when he pleaded guilty to similar charges.
On Sept. 27, 2007, Hood's probation officer stopped by his home for a routine check, only to find two pounds of marijuana throughout his house. Hood was later arrested and charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute. The jury convicted Hood of a reduced charge — which would make him serve no more than 15 years — only to have the prosecutor argue that Hood's past convictions served as proof that he was a career criminal.
In Louisiana, drug offenders can face life in prison after being convicted three or more times of a crime that carries a sentence beyond 10 years.
Clearly the man has an issue with learning from his mistakes, but to serve life in prison for marijuana — that just sounds like cruel and unusual punishment. We get that it's considered a controlled substance, but even murderers and rapists are able to evade a life sentence. This punishment really doesn't fit the crime.
Read more at NOLA.
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