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May 12, 2005
CT: House Passes Bill Equalizing Cocaine Penalties
By SUSAN HAIGH
Associated Press Writer
May 10, 2005, 5:41 PM EDT
HARTFORD, Conn. -- State lawmakers, worried about the racial makeup in Connecticut's prisons, moved closer than ever Tuesday toward equalizing Connecticut's mandatory sentences for crack and powder cocaine convictions.
On a 92-52 vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that eliminates the disparity in the amount of crack versus powder cocaine that would trigger a mandatory minimum prison sentence. Similar crack cocaine bills have been brought up in the past but have never passed either of the two chambers.
The bill increases the minimum amount of crack cocaine from one-half gram to one ounce. That is the current minimum for powder cocaine.
The legislation awaits Senate action. If it becomes law, it would take effect on Oct. 1.
Legislators who represent city districts where crack is more prevalent than powder cocaine said the change in law is necessary to give young people another chance at life and avoid prison time. For example, under current law, someone caught selling one-half gram of crack cocaine faces the same mandatory five-year minimum sentence as someone selling 28 grams of powder cocaine.
"Our jails are filled with young men and women. We need a solution," said Rep. Douglas McCrory, D-Hartford.
"People say we're being soft on crime. I don't think so," he said. "If you walk out this building and walk a mile up the street, you'll see people going to jail every single day because we're tough on crime."
Citing state correction statistics, Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, said 72 percent of Connecticut's adult inmates and 82 percent of the juvenile inmates are black or Hispanic.
"That apparently is driven in large part by drug offenders," Lawlor said.
But Rep. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, a police sergeant, said the issue is not about race but illegal drugs. Witkos said there are already provisions in state law that allow a judge to impose medical treatment to help an addict or to impose lighter sentences.
"We do not need this legislation," he said. "We are saying OK to drugs."
State lawmakers have been discussing ways to improve the disparities in Connecticut's criminal justice system for the past decade. According to A Better Way Foundation, which lobbies for drug treatment over incarceration, Connecticut leads the nation in racial disparity in its prisons.
"This is a clear message we want to reverse that," said Robert Rooks, the group's executive director, of Tuesday's vote.
Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc.
Posted by lois at May 12, 2005 11:46 PM