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This news probably comes as a surprise to no one given the composition of the nation's prisons, but at least there is now some data to back up the obvious.
A
study in Illinois has found that blacks were
five times more likely to be imprisoned for low-level drug crimes than whites. In the largely black Cook County, which includes Chicago, the disparity was even worse. Blacks were
eight times as likely to be imprisoned for low-level drug crimes than whites.
The study provides similar data to other national studies about sentencing disparities. It also falls in line with the disparity between the sentencing for crack cocaine and cocaine. Both drugs are horribly destructive but blacks get longer sentences for selling crack.
The
Chicago Tribune writes:
Police are less likely to take notice of drug activity in suburbs, where crime rates are lower and drugs usually aren't sold on the streets, said David Olson, chairman of
Loyola University Chicago's criminal justice department.
.
"Minorities aren't necessarily more likely to use drugs than whites, but from the data that's available and from the study, it's evident that they're much more likely to be apprehended," Olson said. "I don't think it's necessarily a policy of the police department to do that. I think it's just an outcome of where they put their resources."
The difference in police deployments means minorities involved in the urban drug trade are more likely to have more extensive arrest records than suburban dealers and users, which can lead to longer sentences, Olson said.
This is clearly unfair and an area where lawmakers can have an immediate impact on the lives of individuals and families if they change the laws.
We are now seeing the financial impact of these policies because states and municipalities can no longer afford to house the flood of prisoners coming in on petty drug charges.
It is money that can be used to address the real reasons that people in urban communities sell and use drugs. The money that is used to house a disproportionate number of blacks can be used to provide adequate drug-treatment programs.
That money can be used to improve urban schools and provide job opportunities and training so that people engaged in destroying their communities through drug sales can choose a different route.
The current drug laws punish one group of people more harshly than others not because they are doing an illegal activity more often than others but merely because of circumstances.
It is also leaving the drug issues unaddressed in suburban communities. Just because a problem is hidden does not mean that it is not causing a problem.
Drug issues are already affecting suburban communities in the same way they damage urban communities. Why let racism continue to keep us from addressing a problem that is destroying our nation in a uniform manner?
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