Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Maria DeSersa was 34 years old when she was found dead of a fentanyl overdose in an apartment laundry facility in Federal Way, Washington. She had been a defendant in 24 cases over the span of seven years.
Research Fellow and Program Coordinator Marsha Michaelis explores Maria's tragic story to expose the failures of a lenient criminal justice system and what happens when we treat the addicted and the homeless like outlaws instead of providing them with the help and accountability that could set their lives on a new trajectory.
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Discovery Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan, public policy think tank promoting thoughtful analysis and effective action on local, regional, national and international issues.
The mission of Discovery Institute is to advance a culture of purpose, creativity and innovation.
The Institute is home to an inter-disciplinary community of scholars and policy advocates dedicated to the reinvigoration of traditional Western principles and institutions and the worldview from which they issued. Discovery Institute has a special concern for the role that science and technology play in our culture and how they can advance free markets, illuminate public policy and support the theistic foundations of the West. For more information about the mission and program of Discovery Institute visit: discovery.org/about
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Maria DeSersa was 34 years old when she was found dead of a fentanyl overdose in an apartment laundry facility in Federal Way, Washington. She had been a defendant in 24 cases over the span of seven years.
Research Fellow and Program Coordinator Marsha Michaelis explores Maria's tragic story to expose the failures of a lenient criminal justice system and what happens when we treat the addicted and the homeless like outlaws instead of providing them with the help and accountability that could set their lives on a new trajectory.
==================================================
Discovery Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan, public policy think tank promoting thoughtful analysis and effective action on local, regional, national and international issues.
The mission of Discovery Institute is to advance a culture of purpose, creativity and innovation.
The Institute is home to an inter-disciplinary community of scholars and policy advocates dedicated to the reinvigoration of traditional Western principles and institutions and the worldview from which they issued. Discovery Institute has a special concern for the role that science and technology play in our culture and how they can advance free markets, illuminate public policy and support the theistic foundations of the West. For more information about the mission and program of Discovery Institute visit: discovery.org/about
Follow Discovery Institute:
X: @DiscoveryInst1
https://x.com/DiscoveryInst1
Facebook: facebook.com/thediscoveryinstitute
Follow Fix Homelessness:
fixhomelessness.org
X: @DiscoveryCWP
https://x.com/DiscoveryCWP
Facebook: facebook.com/discoverycwp
