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Crack-Powder Cocaine Disparity Hearing Today

Bumped: Today the House Judiciary Committee (Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security)is holding a hearing on the disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentences.

Members of Congress will receive a petition with 21,000 signatures calling for an end to the disparity. The hearing is called “Unfairness in Federal Cocaine Sentencing: Is it Time to Crack the 100 to 1 Disparity?"

Among the witnesses is a former U.S. Attorney, Veronica Coleman-Davis (Tennessee). From her written testimony:

“After more than 20 years, multiple studies debunking the myths, recommendations from the United States Sentencing Commission, and at least two generations of families and children torn by the systemic imposition of imprisonment for one -100th the amount of cocaine than their white counterparts, it is surely not only good policy but also good politics to correct this injustice,”

The pending bills addressing the disparity are:[More...]

  • HR 1459, the Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act 2009
  • HR 1466, the Major Drug Trafficking Prosecution Act 2009
  • HR 265, the Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2009
  • HR 2178, the Crack-Cocaine Equitable Sentencing Act of 2009
  • HR 18, the Powder-Crack Cocaine Penalty Equalization Act of 2009

Other witnesses include Marc Mauer of the Sentencing Project and Willie May Aikens, a former major league baseball player who served 12 years for small amounts of crack.

Here's a little of my analysis of the bills: The best are H.R. 1459, H.R. 1466 and H.R. 2178:

H.R. 1459: Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act of 2009

  • Amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to eliminate: (1) increased and mandatory minimum penalties for drug offenses involving mixtures or substances which contain cocaine base (i.e., crack cocaine); and (2) restrictions on judicial authority to grant probation or suspended sentences for certain cocaine offenses.
  • Good bill, has 17 co-sponsors.

H.R. 2178: Crack-Cocaine Equitable Sentencing Act of 2009

  • No frills. Equalizes the penalties and mandatory minimums at the current powder levels. Simple and direct. It would take 500 grams of crack instead of 50 to trigger the 5 year mandatory minimum sentence -- just like it always has for powder.
  • Charlie Rangel, no co-sponsors yet.

H.R. 1466: Major Drug Trafficking Prosecution Act of 2009

  • Limits federal prosecution of drug offenses
  • Requires the Attorney General's prior written approval for a federal prosecution of an offense under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) or the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA), or for any conspiracy to commit such an offense, where the offense involves the illegal distribution or possession of a controlled substance in an amount less than that specified as a minimum for an offense under CSA or, in the case of any substance containing cocaine or cocaine base, in an amount less than 500 grams.
  • Modifies CSA and CSIEA to delete specified mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment.
  • 26 co-sponsors.

H.R. 265: Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2009:

  • This one is Joe Biden's baby, left-over from last Congress and reintroduced and is not a good bill. It precludes retroactivity for those already in jail and is filled with millions of dollars to pump up the war on drugs.
  • Amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to increase the amount of a controlled substance or mixture containing a cocaine base (i.e., crack cocaine) required for the imposition of mandatory minimum prison terms for crack cocaine trafficking to eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine.
  • Eliminates the five year mandatory minimum prison term for first time possession of crack cocaine.
  • Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend, if appropriate, its sentencing guidelines for trafficking in a controlled substance to reflect the use of a dangerous weapon or violence in such crime and the culpability and the role of the defendant in such crime, taking into account certain aggravating and mitigating factors.
  • Directs the Attorney General to make grants to improve drug treatment to offenders in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities.
  • Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to establish demonstration programs to reduce the use of alcohol and other drugs by substance abusers while incarcerated and until the completion of parole or court supervision.
  • Increases monetary penalties for drug trafficking and for the importation and exportation of controlled substances.
  • Authorizes appropriations to the Departments of Justice (DOJ), the Treasury, and Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2009 FY2010 for the prosecution of, and for supporting the prosecution of, high level drug offenses.

And, since you know some Republicans had to get their warped views in, here's their bill: It increases the penalties for powder to match those now set for crack.

H.R. 18: Powder Crack Cocaine Penalty Equalization Act of 2009 (A bill to target cocaine kingpins and address sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine.)

  • Amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to eliminate the disparity in sentencing between crack and powder cocaine, with regard to trafficking, possession, importation, and exportation of such substances, by changing the applicable amounts for powder cocaine to those currently applicable to crack cocaine.

Bottom line: It's time to crack the disparity, reduce the penalties for crack to match the lower levels for powder and end mandatory minimum sentences for both. Retroactivity would be nice too, so the thousands already languishing in our prisons serving these draconian and unjust sentences could get some relief.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Low expectations (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Jacob Freeze on Thu May 21, 2009 at 12:53:17 AM EST
    With Democrats in control of the House, Senate and the White House, maybe we can equalize sentences for powder and crack?

    And nobody even mentions that entire "war on drugs" is a ridiculous and evil legacy of drug-addled Republicans like Nelson Rockefeller?

    Nobody even dreams that this evil thing will ever be flushed down the toilet of history?

    Has everybody forgotten that the "war on drugs" is corporate thieves and thugs from both corporate parties pretending to protect us from ourselves?

    Equalizing crack and powder will leave hundreds of thousands of non-violent drug "offenders" in prison, and not one of them should be there.

    Don't forget it!

    More on Aitkens, (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by scribe on Thu May 21, 2009 at 08:16:40 AM EST
    here.  He would have gotten about 2 1/2 years had the cocaine he gave to a woman (who turned out to be undercover) been powder instead of crack.  But, she insisted on it being crack and only crack so she would get to bust him on a charge with a longer prison sentence.

    That's a lot of bills... (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by kdog on Thu May 21, 2009 at 08:42:18 AM EST
    when we only need one...The "100 Years of Failed Prohibition Total Repeal Act".

    attribution? (none / 0) (#3)
    by Bemused on Thu May 21, 2009 at 07:48:28 AM EST
    "Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act of 2009-

     Amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to eliminate: (1) increased and mandatory minimum penalties for drug offenses involving mixtures or substances which contain cocaine base (i.e., crack cocaine); and (2) restrictions on judicial authority to grant probation or suspended sentences for certain cocaine offenses."

    Link to Washington Watch website

    From this site:

    Here's a little of my analysis of the bills: The best are H.R. 1459, H.R. 1466 and H.R. 2178:

    H.R. 1459: Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act of 2009

    Amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to eliminate: (1) increased and mandatory minimum penalties for drug offenses involving mixtures or substances which contain cocaine base (i.e., crack cocaine); and (2) restrictions on judicial authority to grant probation or suspended sentences for certain cocaine offenses.

    yup, my analysis (none / 0) (#13)
    by Jeralyn on Thu May 21, 2009 at 06:00:09 PM EST
    is which are the good bills and picking out the important parts so everyone doesn't have to read the full text of the summaries and bills like I did.

    You want a re-write of the language, you'll have to hire me.

    Parent

    My suggestion (none / 0) (#15)
    by Bemused on Tue May 26, 2009 at 07:18:52 AM EST
      is that when you reprint the work of others you should cite your source.

      It is proper to acknowledge those who did the work of  preparing the convenient summaries.  A simple mention that the summaries are from another website and a link would suffice

     Your flippant comment that you weren't paid  misses the point.  

    Parent

    They're everywhere this morning (none / 0) (#6)
    by Inspector Gadget on Thu May 21, 2009 at 08:34:22 AM EST



    Crack Cocaine (none / 0) (#8)
    by glennmcgahee on Thu May 21, 2009 at 08:44:10 AM EST
    While I believe that both forms of the drug are bad, I don't ever remember a drug as dangerous as I have seen with people that are users of crack. That is one drug I am especially afraid of. It works fast. By work, I mean I've seen perfectly responsible people get hooked on that drug and faster than anything else just by trying it once. I don't understand why, but anyone doing it would rob their grandma to pay for another hit it seems. Living in South Florida where cocaine is rampant, this drug (crack) has brought people down to nothing faster than anything I've ever seen before, both physically and financially.

    That was my experience (none / 0) (#9)
    by Inspector Gadget on Thu May 21, 2009 at 08:58:28 AM EST
    I worked with a very responsible woman. She had a terrific management position in a very large company. Within 4 months she had become an unbathed, confused, disconnected employee who rarely showed up, then died of an overdose. Crack is seriously dangerous.

    Parent
    No argument from anybody there... (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by kdog on Thu May 21, 2009 at 09:30:06 AM EST
    crack is nasty, meth is nasty, pcp is nasty...sh*t, alcoholism is nasty...and so is prison.  Hard to do anything about the addicts without getting tyrannical except making treatment readily available to all who want it.  We can do something about the nastiness of prison though...with a mere stroke of some pens.  sadly, the addiction problems will be with us forever...human nature.

    Parent
    eliminating statutory and guidelines (none / 0) (#11)
    by Bemused on Thu May 21, 2009 at 09:43:59 AM EST
    disparities and elimiating or limitinng mandatory minimums would not prevent judges from imposing very harsh sentence on some offenders. It would merely permit them not to impose very harsh sentences on offenders they don't believe deserve them.

      Under all of these proposals the maximum penalty for 1st offense would remain 20 years.

    Parent

    the point is the guidelines (none / 0) (#14)
    by Jeralyn on Thu May 21, 2009 at 06:03:40 PM EST
    for crack would dramatically decrease and judges wouldn't be required to impose mandatory minimums.

    Unless it's a telephone count which maxes at 4 years, most judges don't impose the max in a drug case.

    There's really no need to change the statutory max if you reduce the guidelines for crack to the powder levels and eliminate the requirement of a mandatory minimum. It also takes care of the problem that the only way out from under a mandatory minimum is a motion by the government if you cooperate.

    Parent

    Just zapped, thanks (none / 0) (#12)
    by Jeralyn on Thu May 21, 2009 at 12:03:32 PM EST