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War
in
the
Capital:
In
our
nation's
capital,
nearly
50%
of
black
males
between
18-35
are
under
criminal
justice
supervision
9/12/97
Two weeks ago, the Week Online reported that a study by the National
Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) had found that one out of
every two black men between ages of 18 and 35 were under criminal justice
supervision on any given day. (See http://drcnet.org/rapid/1997/8-29-1.html#injustice.)
According to Eric Lotke, the primary author of the report, of the over
39,000 arrests in the Capitol District by the Metropolitan Police in 1996,
less than 3% were for serious violent crimes.
Cheryl Epps, a member of the NAACP Criminal Justice and Policy Review
Task Force, and a former New York City narcotics prosecutor, told the Week
Online, "These numbers represent the tragic effects of the War on
Drugs in Communities of Color. 50% of young, black males in the capitol
of the United States of America are caught up in the criminal justice system.
It is time to take a very hard look at the paradigm in which we are dealing
with our drug problem. No responsible criminal justice professional can
look at these figures and deny that something is very, very wrong."
-- END --
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Issue #11, 9/12/97
Organization News | Medical Marijuana: Plaintiffs in Conant v. McCaffrey Win Another Stage | Needle Exchange: House passes amendment that would strip Shalala of the power to lift the ban on using Federal AIDS funding for needle exchange | War on the Border: Against the Pentagon's wishes, the House votes to add provision for 10,000 troops on US-Mexican border to defense bill | War in the Capital: In our nation's capital, nearly 50% of black males between 18-35 are under criminal justice supervision | Focus on Michigan | Free Kemba Smith: Youth lead the way in the campaign against mandatory minimum sentencing | International: Colombia faces terror threat and a guerrilla war it can't win | Quote of the Week: Monkey business from the new issue of the Drug Policy Letter | Link of the Week: National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
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