Black users of crack cocaine are far more likely to end up in jail than White users of powder cocaine. Nothing portrays unequal justice in America quite like this. Two things explain it: racism and wealth. Indeed, they also explain why Blacks who steal peanuts end up in jail, whereas Whites who embezzle millions remain scot-free.
Black users vs. White users
For decades, I’ve been calling to decriminalize all victimless crimes. Unfortunately, this progressive goal remains a pipe dream.
As a result, hundreds of thousands are in state and federal prisons for using drugs or engaging in prostitution. That reflects the latter-day Puritanism that governs so much of life in America. But the composition of those prisoners also reflects the racism that still determines justice in America.
So I applaud the government for taking a “First Step” towards redressing this injustice. It has enacted criminal justice reforms to reduce the racial disparity in sentencing related to crack and powder cocaine. Generally, Black used crack, and their sentences were draconian. Whites used power, and their sentences were lenient.
Across the country on Tuesday [November 1], federal judges began reviewing the prison sentences of thousands of men and women jailed on crack cocaine charges. Many inmates could be released or see their sentences sharply reduced. … So beginning Tuesday, as many as 12,000 people … are eligible to request that their prison sentences be sharply reduced.
(NPR November 1, 2011)
One small step for justice, one giant leap for crack users
I welcome this small, long-overdue first step to reform US drug policy. However, we still have too many steps to take to celebrate. No doubt, sudden freedom for the incarcerated will seem like a sweet dream. But the Constitutional guarantee of justice and equality for all still seems like a pipe dream.
I have written too many commentaries on this topic to count. But I invite you to read “The Real Drug War: Crack vs. Powder Cocaine,” August 10, 2010. It thoroughly explains the issues and puts them into proper perspective.