CJ 4002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Rockefeller Drug Laws, Mandatory Sentencing, Openair
8 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
No issue has had more impact on the criminal justice system in the past three decades than national drug policy - mauer & king (2007) Focus on inner city open-air drug markets. Disparate effects on poor inner city neighborhoods. Longer term effect of imprisonment on people and communities. Anti-drug abuse acts of 1986 and 1988. Rockefeller drug laws and other state mandatory sentencing laws in 1970s and 1980s. Since 1980, number of prisoners in state and federal prisons has increased fourfold. % of drug offenders sentenced to prison and sentence length increased. # of drug offenders in state prisons increased from 19,000 in 1980 to 265,800 in 2006. African americans are 14% of drug users, 37% of drug crime arrestees, 56% o inmates convicted of drug offenses. Law enforcement focus on inner city drug markets. Crack vs. cocaine sentencing disparity disproportionately affects blacks. Harsh sentencing policies and emphasis on enforcement. Drug use prevalence same or lower for blacks.
