It's Not Fair, It's Not Working: The Crack/Powder Cocaine Disparity and Racial Inequality in the Criminal Justice System

The George Washington University Law School is holding a forum to plan action to address the injustice in the disparity in federal crack and powder cocaine sentences. The discussion will focus on legislative, legal and grassroots strategies. For more information, contact Leah Kane, GWU Law School '08 at (347) 251-2111. An out-of-date 1986 federal law punishes crack cocaine offenders much more severely than other drug offenders. Ten African-Americans are prosecuted under this law for every white person, even though two-thirds of the nation's crack users are white. On October 2, 2007 the U.S. Supreme Court will hear argument whether Federal judges can depart from Federal sentencing guidelines in crack cocaine cases because they disagree with Congress' determination that the quantity of cocaine that triggers a given mandatory sentence is 100 times greater than the quantity of crack that triggers a similar sentence (Kimbrough v. U.S.). On November 1, 2007, new federal sentencing guidelines will take effect that will shorten federal crack cocaine sentences. No legislation to block this change was introduced. A different proposal to reduce crack sentences in 1995 was rejected by Congress. New legislation has been introduced in the Congress to adjust the quantities of crack cocaine and powder cocaine and the sentences they trigger, but no hearings have yet been scheduled. Speakers include: Judge Arthur L. Burnett, Sr., National Executive Director, National African American Drug Policy Coalition Ryan King, Policy Analyst, The Sentencing Project Jesselyn McCurdy, Legislative Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union Eric E. Sterling, President, Criminal Justice Policy Foundation Jasmine Tyler, Deputy Director of National Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance The moderator is Professor Paul Butler, George Washington University Law Center, former Assistant United States Attorney Please join us at this important forum. A reception follows.