It is hardly a secret that in this country there are thousands of people who do not have access to the justice system. One of the most egregious displays of sentencing laws is that of mandatory minimums. For those of you who think that mandatory minimum sentencing laws make a positive change in regards to crimes, here are some interesting statistical facts which prove otherwise.

1. One reason that America has the largest prison populations in the world is due to Congress creating mandatory sentencing minimums for drug crimes back in the 1980s. These laws have ballooned the prison population from an estimated 24,000 prisoners to over 214,000 prisoners.

2. For every 31 adults in America, one is either in prison, on probation, or on parole. 

3. If a prisoner is in the Federal prison system, they have no chance of parole. They are required by law to serve a minimum of 85% of their sentences.

4. 95% of all persons convicted of a drug crime, including first-time non-violent offenders, received a prison sentence.

5. 77% of Americans, including those who support groups such as www.gji.org, support the elimination of mandatory minimum sentencing laws used on first-time offenders who have committed non-violent crimes.

6. In an odd reverse display of funding, the United States government has cut funding for state and local law enforcement agencies by nearly half. At the same time, they have increased the funding for Federal prisons by almost 50%. It is things like this which show where the priorities lie.

7. The cost of a single inmate to taxpayers equals almost $84 per day. This is over $30,000 per year. 

8. On an annual basis, United States taxpayers shell out $50 billion in the name of state prisons.

9. When it comes to offenders who are considered low-risk, those who spend the least amount of time in prison actually have a 4% less chance of committing a crime than do those who spend more time in prison.

Hopefully, these facts can help to change the mind of those who consider mandatory minimum sentencing laws as a way to positively affect crime and those who commit it.

Home improvements and renovations are becoming increasingly popular activities as more and more homeowners are electing to stay right where they're at, making the most of what they've got. As the housing market still struggles in many areas to make a full post-recession recovery, many people remain wary of getting into the housing market right now. Improvements and additions to their current residence can make living conditions much more comfortable, and if done in the right manner, can be a fiscally wise move. Making some changes can ultimately result in adding considerably to the home's resale value, so investments now can possibly pay off handsomely in the future.

As important as improving living conditions inside the home are, homeowners find that making improvements and additions outside the home are important as well, and for a number of very valid reasons.

The addition of metal barns, metal garages, metal sheds, metal carports and RV covers provide homeowners with several options in how to utilize their new structures, all the while making a new and very aesthetically pleasing addition to their property, subsequently adding to the home's overall value.

Structures made of metal are more durable than those made with wood. Able to withstand all types of weather conditions very well, they are very low maintenance and don't have the problems wood structures face with rotting, termite infestation, and are a considerably lower fire risk.

Homeowners that may be considering adding a new metal structure to their property would be wise to look into leading companies in the industry, ones like New Deal Metal Buildings, that specialize in the sales of durable, prefabricated metal buildings and structures.

The company that can best serve customers will feature an extensive array of building sizes and design options to choose from in each structure. If customers should have any special needs, that company should provide the capability and willingness to work with the customer on coming up with a custom-built structure that will suit all the customer's needs.

New metal outbuildings and carports, coming in a variety of attractive colors, can provide tremendous areas for additional storage. Storage within durable new metal structures will enable vehicles, equipment, and other items to be safe from harsh weather conditions that occur everywhere. From the beating down heat and intensity of the sun that can fade paint and interiors, to harsh rain, sleet, hail, storms, and snowfall, everything can be protected in a durable metal building.

Why this song?
This could be the most appropriate song to play right now.
Enjoy! 

An electrical fire can break out because of an overloaded circuit breaker or because of faulty wiring. Though you may notice some symptoms of an electrical fire like sparks coming from an outlet or a burning odor when you plug in certain things, these fires can happen with little to no warning. Once you get your family out of the house and to a safe place and call 911 to have the fire put out, you can take some other steps to make your home safer for your family.

Contact Your Insurer

Make your very first call one to your insurer or the company responsible for your home insurance policy. This company will request a copy of the fire report to make sure that the fire was electrical in nature and not caused by you or someone in your home. If you had a smaller fire and put it out on your own, the insurer will likely send an adjuster to your home. The adjuster will determine the cause of the fire and make a report that shows the work needed as well as how much the company will pay out on those repairs.

Block Off Access

Depending on the severity of the fire, you may want to block off access or limit access to the room. Younger children are fascinated with changes and may want to poke things in the socket or try to plug things into other outlets in the room. It's best to completely block access to the room until you finish making any necessary repairs. If this is not possible, you can use tarps with heavy weights to bricks to block off the damaged areas of the room.

Call an Electrician

Ask your insurer for a Ponte Vedra electrician to find someone you can trust to repair your home. The electrician will need to get inside the walls to find the cause of the fire. He or she may need to strip out the old wiring before installing any new wiring and then upgrade your circuit breaker to ensure that it can handle all the appliances and devices that your home runs. Electricians can also inspect other areas of your home to find any other problems that might lead to a future fire. Though an electrical fire might scare you, you can take steps to keep those fires from breaking out.

There are some point in our lives where we lost our patience and we got things out of hand. This is so normal. Especially if you are in a situation wherein you tried to understand everything. You tried to be sensible. However, patience became an issue. Patience could just slipped away if you got the feeling of being fed up, being sick and tired because you just cannot handle the situation anymore.

Can you blame yourself? Once you started to blame yourself, regrets would follow. Yes, there is so much regrets for the bad decisions in the past and that bad decisions was once the best decisions you thought  you ever had.

You could only wish that changing mind could be as easy as changing your clothes. But there are just some factors that despite of your deepest regrets, you cannot just simply let go because some important people in your lives will be affected. You might have lost your patience but you need to go on. You need to forget how you feel. You need to be blind because you have no other choice. It may be against your will but you have to sacrifice. Patience was gone but you just don't have the guts yet to follow your mind. No, not yet. Maybe some other time.

If you've recently made the mind/body connection or simply grown tired of feeling lackluster, you may have given thought to implementing health strategies that will help you think clearly, boost immunity, sleep better, maintain mood stability, or accomplish some other great wellness outcome. If you're really serious about attaining some or all of these results, this is the article for you. Read on to learn more about how you can start cultivating a life of wellness: 

1. Think About Health As A Holistic Enterprise.

One mistake many people make when they begin their journey into greater health is failing to think of wellness as a holistic enterprise. Don't commit this error. Instead, recognize that the mental, physical, and spiritual elements of your personhood are always intertwined in a manner that enables them to impact one another profoundly. When you think about your body as one composite unit comprised of multiple parts that all require attention and care for the whole system to function correctly, you begin to understand the concept of holistic health. 

Another concept to keep in mind as you begin to pursue holistic health is that all of our body parts are connected. As such, each individual part can contribute to or detract from overall health. For example, if you neglect your teeth by practicing poor oral hygiene, you can make yourself vulnerable to not only gum disease, but heart disease, osteoporosis, and gum disease. With this idea in mind, make sure that you and your children are taking good care of the teeth at all times. If you're in search of a great pediatric dentist Quincy residents can rely on to offer effective care, know that the professionals of Premier Dental of Quincy can assist you. 

2. Learn More About Physical Fitness. 

In addition to thinking about your health in holistic terms, make sure that you begin learning more about physical fitness. Getting serious about the field of exercise is important because it will empower you to learn about ways that you can move your body for the purpose of attaining great outcomes like enhanced cardiovascular function, boosted metabolism, and improved posture. One book you may want to refer to as you start gaining more knowledge about fitness is Baron Baptiste's Journey Into Power. This book offers incredibly helpful information regarding how you can use the practice of yoga to attain great outcomes like stronger, leaner muscles, laserlike focus, and inner calm. 

Ready, Set, Get Healthy!

There's no time like the present to step out of normality and into the world of greatness that wellness has for you. Start making the lifestyle changes listed above now so you can begin to cultivate an incredibly healthy mind and body!