U.S. jails 10 times more blacks than whites for drugs: report
Being only 1/8-th of US population, blacks are majority in prisons
by Matthew Bigg
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=144257
ATLANTA
Black Americans are 10 times more likely to be imprisoned for illegal drug offences
than whites, even though both groups use and sell drugs at the same rate, according
to a study released Tuesday.
Almost all large counties in the United States showed sharp disparities along racial
lines in the sentencing of drug offenders, the study by the Washington-based Justice
Policy Institute showed.
There were 1.5 million drug arrests out of 19.5 million drug users in 2002, it said.
About 175,000 people were incarcerated for a drug offence, of which half were black,
even though blacks account for 13% of the U.S. population, it said.
The study looked at data from 198 U.S. counties with the biggest population. Its
findings were similar to others on the subject, but it is the first to look at
relative incarceration rates at a local level.
"What you keep seeing is this towering drug admission rate for African Americans and
a very small rate for whites. In many cases, the admission rate for whites is smaller
than the [percentage of whites in the] whole population," said Jason Ziedenberg, the
institute's executive director.
The reasons for the disparity include federal mandatory minimum jail terms for drug
crimes, which he said hit blacks harder.
For instance, the mandatory federal sentence is the same for possession of five grams
of crack, more associated with blacks, as 500 grams of cocaine, which is more often
used by whites.
Local police also tend to devote more resources to policing illegal drugs in open-air
drug markets in inner cities with more blacks than in suburban communities or college
campuses, Ziedenberg said, citing other research.
Research also shows that probation officers are sometimes more lenient with white
offenders, blaming their problems on factors such as a broken home, than with black
offenders, who were more likely to be described as having a failure of moral
character, he said.
Ziedenberg advocated more investment in drug treatment and applauded individual U.S.
counties that decided to make drug enforcement a lower priority than policing violent
crime.
Reform of drug laws and increases in funding for drug treatment are difficult to
achieve because politicians are unwilling to be seen as soft on crime, according to
Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance.
"The public is by and large supportive of [some drug] reform, but legislatures have
been hesitant to move forward. ... The law enforcement industry is politically very
powerful and has a lot of sway over legislators," Nadelmann said.
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I intend to last long enough to put out of business all *****-suckers
and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.
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"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
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