Crack Cocaine Sentences
Dec 12th, 2007 at 11:54 am by Susie
This new policy that brings crack cocaine sentencing in line with other forms of the drug is a long time coming:
Since then, experts have concluded that there are more similarities than differences, and many people involved in sentencing have lamented the fact that black people are disproportionately affected by crack-related sentences. Statistics show that about 85 percent of the federal inmates behind bars for crack offenses are black.
“At its core, this question is one of fairness,” said one commission member, Judge William K. Sessions III of the United States District Court in Vermont. “This is an historic day. This system of justice is, and must always be, colorblind.”
The policy will apply retroactively over the opposition of the Bush administration.
It seems redundant even to mention that this discrepancy was no mistake…
Dope of various types has been being used to destroy the blacks for at least 60 years. Heroin comes in waves. When a generation is batted around by heroin, the younger ones see and don’t start. Heroin goes away for awhile. After 20 years or so, the younger generation has no memory of the old scourge and back it comes. It has happened 4 times since the end of WW2. Crack is dope on steroids. Cheap. Easy to produce. Crank is the same. The crank thing has been building since the 80s. It doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The difference is the crank seems to attack poor whites more than blacks. I guess it really boils down to compulsion and illegality. Mark Twain once noted that every good christian boy knew how much better a stolen watermelon tasted than the one your mother gave you. The forbidden ALWAYS creates a compulsion. Just ask Eve. But we can’t end the drug war. Sends the wrong message. Won’t somebody PLEASE think of the children?