Louisville Courier Journal "Pointless Disparities". YEP.
Pointless disparities
The huge disparities between federal sentences for crack and powdered cocaine offenses had yielded predictable results by 2006: African Americans were 82 percent of those convicted for crack cocaine offenses, and whites, just 9 percent.
Now, however, some who had supported the monstrous 100-to-1 sentencing disparity are acknowledging that the law went too far.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, is one example. At a recent hearing of his subcommittee, he said, "Each of the myths upon which we based the disparity has since been dispelled or altered. Crack-related violence has decreased significantly since the 1980s, and today, 94 percent of crack cocaine cases don't involve violence at all." "Myths" is the operative word. Meanwhile, Lanny A. Breuer, chief of the Obama administration's Justice Department's criminal division, testified that, "Most in the law enforcement community now recognize the need to re-evaluate current federal cocaine sentencing policies and the disparities this policy creates."
This is the best news since 2007 when, alarmed by the burgeoning prison population, the U.S. Sentencing Committee reduced the average sentence for crack cocaine possession from 10 years, one month to eight years, 10 months.
These tough economic times should be an added incentive for the Washington crowd to eliminate the disparate sentencing policy that was crafted in an era when many in Congress, rather than really trying to solve a big problem, opted to try to dazzle voters with political grandstanding. They came up with a scheme that led to the inordinately long imprisonment of a lot of low-level dealers and non-violent offenders who quite likely could have been treated for their addictions and punished for their crimes through far less expensive alternative means.
Editor's comment:
There was NEVER a valid reason for the disparity, unless, of course, you count prejudice and UNBRIDLED injustice. Kinda like the ones that convinced CONgress to ban pot, etc. .
The huge disparities between federal sentences for crack and powdered cocaine offenses had yielded predictable results by 2006: African Americans were 82 percent of those convicted for crack cocaine offenses, and whites, just 9 percent.
Now, however, some who had supported the monstrous 100-to-1 sentencing disparity are acknowledging that the law went too far.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, is one example. At a recent hearing of his subcommittee, he said, "Each of the myths upon which we based the disparity has since been dispelled or altered. Crack-related violence has decreased significantly since the 1980s, and today, 94 percent of crack cocaine cases don't involve violence at all." "Myths" is the operative word. Meanwhile, Lanny A. Breuer, chief of the Obama administration's Justice Department's criminal division, testified that, "Most in the law enforcement community now recognize the need to re-evaluate current federal cocaine sentencing policies and the disparities this policy creates."
This is the best news since 2007 when, alarmed by the burgeoning prison population, the U.S. Sentencing Committee reduced the average sentence for crack cocaine possession from 10 years, one month to eight years, 10 months.
These tough economic times should be an added incentive for the Washington crowd to eliminate the disparate sentencing policy that was crafted in an era when many in Congress, rather than really trying to solve a big problem, opted to try to dazzle voters with political grandstanding. They came up with a scheme that led to the inordinately long imprisonment of a lot of low-level dealers and non-violent offenders who quite likely could have been treated for their addictions and punished for their crimes through far less expensive alternative means.
Editor's comment:
There was NEVER a valid reason for the disparity, unless, of course, you count prejudice and UNBRIDLED injustice. Kinda like the ones that convinced CONgress to ban pot, etc. .
Labels: Class, Crime, Punishment, Race, Racism
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 6:46 PM
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