« National Organization for Women: Takes Stand Against War on Drugs | Main | New Study:Review of State & Federal Law relating to Collateral Conscequences »
July 24, 2005
CT: Gov. Signs Law to Help Correct Racial Injustice in Sentencing
Thursday, July 14, 2005
This week Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell signed a compromise bill to revise the sentencing guidelines for crack and powder cocaine in Connecticut. Though it was not the bill originally proposed by the Alliance, it is a significant step in the right direction.
The original bill, which Governor Rell vetoed, would have set the amount of crack or powder cocaine that triggers a mandatory minimum sentence at 28 grams. The compromise bill that finally passed sets the trigger for both at 14 grams. Though this is not ideal, it is a drastic improvement over the previous law that could put someone with only half a gram of crack cocaine in prison for as long as someone who possessed 28 grams of the powder form. “While it’s a shame that Governor Rell vetoed the original bill, this new law takes three or four steps forward and only one backward,” said Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Alliance.
Disparate cocaine sentencing laws unfairly target minorities and those living in urban areas, who are more likely to use crack cocaine. In Connecticut, for example, black men make up less than 3 percent of Connecticut's population but account for 47 percent of the state's inmates. We were able to make real progress in correcting this injustice thanks to community organizing by groups like the Alliance Connecticut, a coalition of which the Drug Policy Alliance is a member, and individuals in Connecticut who contacted their legislators and the governor to demand fairness in sentencing.
This victory will serve as a springboard for crucial further reform. Robert Rooks of the Alliance Connecticut said, "This compromise bill is an important first step, but the war on drugs continues to devastate communities of color. We will not stop. The momentum of this win will be carried into next year's battle against systemically racist policies, including mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses.”
The momentum will also carry over to a fight at the federal level, where similar sentencing disparities exist. The federal government treats small amounts (5 grams) of crack cocaine in the same way as they do large amounts (500 grams) of powder cocaine. Representative Charles Rangel, (D-NY), along with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, has re-introduced into Congress the Crack-Cocaine Equitable Sentencing Act of 2005 (HR 2456). His bill would treat the two forms of cocaine equally in federal sentencing.
Posted by lois at July 24, 2005 11:02 AM