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Newsbrief:
Sentencing
Project
Finds
Most
Drug
Offenders
Are
Nonviolent,
Minorities
9/20/02
In a new report released
this week, "Distorted Priorities: Drug Offenders in State Prisons," The
Sentencing Project has found that most drug offenders in state prisons
are black males with no history of violence or major drug dealing.
More than half of the 251,000 people held in state prisons for drug offenses
in 1997, when the last federal five-year survey of state inmates was made,
had no history of violence, the report found.
Some 124,885 state inmates
were serving prison sentences for nonviolent drug crimes without any high-level
drug dealing involvement, and more than half of them were black.
Blacks represented 56% of all drug offenders, even though they make up
only 13% of monthly drug users, the Sentencing Project reported.
Hispanics made up 23% of state drug offenders, while making up only 9%
of all monthly drug users. Thus, minorities made up nearly four-fifths
of all imprisoned drug offenders while being responsible for only slightly
more than one-fifth of all monthly drug use.
The states paid about $5
billion to house the quarter-million drug offenders in state prisons in
1997, the study found.
"They represent a pool of
appropriate candidates for diversion to treatment programs or some other
type of community-based sanctions," the authors wrote of the nonviolent
drug offenders. "The 'war on drugs' has been overly punitive and
costly and has diverted attention and resources from potentially more constructive
approaches."
See http://www.sentencingproject.org/news/distorted_priorities.pdf
to read the report.
-- END --
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Issue #255, 9/20/02
Editorial: Striking at the Heart of Democracy | Do You Read The Week Online? | California Medical Marijuana: Another Bust, Giveaways in Santa Cruz and San Diego, Mass Demo Set for Sacramento Monday | Ordeal of the Pain Doctors: Weitzel Facing Prison for Minor Records Violation, Still Anticipates Vindication in Manslaughter Case | Drug Czar on Anti-Marijuana Crusade -- Threatens Canada, Unleashes New Propaganda Offensive | Rep. Mink Introduces Bill to Reinstate Federal Parole -- Could Free Tens of Thousands If Passed | Swedish Drug War Hardliners Attempt to Block Anti-Prohibition Conference at European Parliament | Action Alerts: Rave Bill, Medical Marijuana, Higher Education Act Drug Provision | Newsbrief: DC Medical Marijuana Initiative Yanked from Ballot | Newsbrief: Leahy Drops Support for RAVE Act | Newsbrief: Mexican Senate Panel to Look at Approving Medical Marijuana | MarijuanaInfo.org Votes/Polls Section Updated | Newsbrief: Sentencing Project Finds Most Drug Offenders Are Nonviolent, Minorities | Newsbrief: Illinois Governor Candidate Says He Smoked Pot -- Sort Of | Newsbrief: Waco Police Department Goes Easier on Applicants with Past Marijuana Use History | Web Scan: Arianna Huffington, Action America, Cultural Baggage, Bob Herbert, Mark Fiore | Errata: New York Marijuana Reform Party | The Reformer's Calendar
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