Jeff Mizanskey has been in prison for 20 years and has no possibility of parole. For non-violent, marijuana-only offenses, my father has been sentenced to die in prison because of a "three strikes" mandatory sentencing policy in the State of Missouri.
Mizanskey first offense was in 1984 when he sold an ounce to an undercover informant, and then was found to possess a half pound of marijuana when police raided his house the next day. His next offense occurred in 1991, when he was caught in possession of a couple of ounces. But for Mizanskey final strike in 1993, he became an easy fall guy in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Mizanskey was driving a friend to a deal that turned out to be a sting operation. All of the other convicted men involved were set free years ago.