Organizations

Dear Friend,

For the first time in 25 years, since the inception of the "war on drugs," the number of African Americans incarcerated in state prisons for drug offenses has declined substantially, according to a study released today by The Sentencing Project. It finds a 21.6% drop in the number of blacks incarcerated for a drug offense, a decline of 31,000 people during the period 1999-2005.

The study, The Changing Racial Dynamics of the War on Drugs, also documents a corresponding rise in the number of whites in state prison for a drug offense, an increase of 42.6% during this time frame, or more than 21,000 people. The number of Latinos incarcerated for state drug offenses was virtually unchanged.

The study notes that the black declines in incarceration represent "the end result of 50 state law enforcement and sentencing systems" which need to be examined individually. But overall, the decline in blacks incarcerated for a drug offense follows upon declining arrest and conviction rates for blacks as well. The study suggests much of the disparity resulting from the drug war has been a function of police targeting of open-air drug markets. As crack use and sales have declined, or moved indoors in some cases, law enforcement activity may have been reduced correspondingly.

Because of the rising number of whites in prison for a drug offense, the overall number of persons serving state prison time for a drug offense remained at a record 250,000 during the study period. The white increase may be related in part to more aggressive enforcement of methamphetamine laws, according to the study. While methamphetamine is only used at significant levels in a relative handful of states, data from states such as Iowa and Minnesota show a substantial influx of these cases during this time period.

The analysis by The Sentencing Project also documented a sharp contrast between state and federal prison populations. While the number of persons in state prisons for a drug offense rose by less than 1% during the study period, the increase in federal prisons was more than 32%. These latter changes are attributed to ongoing aggressive enforcement of drug laws, including application of harsh mandatory sentencing policies. Despite declines in the use of crack cocaine, federal prosecution and incarceration levels for crack offenses remain high and have a stark racially disparate impact.

In reviewing the study's findings, Mauer noted that despite the new trend, African Americans are still imprisoned at more than six times the rate of whites for all offenses. Moreover, high incarceration rates for low-level drug offenses remain a function of the largely punitive approach to drug abuse that has proven expensive and ineffective.

Today's study is based on an analysis of government data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, FBI, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Click here to read The Sentencing Project's report, The Changing Racial Dynamics of the War on Drugs.

-The Sentencing Project

IDPC Alert – April 2009

Welcome to the new look IDPC Alert.  IDPC has a new logo as can be seen at the top of this April 2009 Alert (you may need to click on 'download pictures' to see it!) The new logo represents a stronger brand identity for the consortium as we move into a new phase of growth and development. IDPC will soon be re-launching the website under the new branding - watch this space.
 
This alert is mostly made up of documents prepared for, or reporting on, the 2009 Commission on Narcotic Drugs, held in Vienna in March 2009.

Recent publications

IDPC Proceedings document on the 2009 CND and High Level Segment

This proceedings document provides the reader with a summary of what happened at the 52nd session of the CND and its High Level Segment and offers an analysis of some of the key discussions and debates.

Political Declaration and Action Plan

This Politcal Declaration and Action Plan are the versions presented to delegates when they arrived at the high level meeting on 11th March. They contain two significant amendments to the version agreed by member states on 3rd March - the addition of the words 'drug abuse' in paragraph 20 of the declaration, and the removal of the word 'considering' in paragraph 47(g) of the action plan. Both changes were made by the CND secretariat, that altered the meaning of those paragraphs towards wording favoured by certain member states. When challenged on these unauthorised changes, the secretariat claimed that they were simple editorial errors but, three weeks after the event, corrected versions have still not appeared on the UNODC website.'

IDPC Briefing paper: Why is the outcome of the United Nations drug policy review so weak and inconclusive?

IDPC and other NGOs have followed the preparations for the 2009 CND closely, in particular the negotiation of the political declaration. We have been disappointed at the unwillingness of member states to meaningfully tackle the policy dilemmas arising from the lack of progress over the last 10 years. The dominant response to the crumbling consensus has been to claim reiterate existing commitments and strategies, and hope that they work better in the next decade. This briefing paper examines the political and institutional pressures that have led to such a weak conclusion.

IDPC Briefing Paper: Antonio Costa’s speech to the High Level Segment of the 2009

Antonio Costa, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), gave a speech to the High Level Segment of the 2009 Commission on Narcotic Drugs on the 11th March 2009. The speech drew heavily on a discussion paper published by the UNODC shortly before the meeting – ‘Organised Crime and Its Threat to Security’ (V.09-81081). This speech, and the paper on which it is based, continues a trend in which Mr Costa presents some interesting and helpful arguments that member states should seriously consider, but sometimes undermines the strength of his analysis with unnecessary rhetorical flourishes and the inaccurate use of data and evidence. Read the IDPC briefing here.

IDPC Advocacy Note: Civil Society Engagement - UN High Level Segment 2009

While it is clear that civil society has played a much greater role in this CND than has ever been the case previously, there is still a long way to go for the UNODC and CND to meet the standards set in other UN bodies and commissions. The Beyond 2008 initiative, and the work of networks such as the IDPC, ensured that the awareness, debates, and influence of NGOs was significantly improved for this review process. However, the support provided by the secretariat and member states was patchy at best, and this advocacy note calls for a much clearer commitment to constructive engagement in the future. Read the IDPC advocacy note here.

IDPC Advocacy Note: The Political Declaration - A missed opportunity

The Political Declaration sets a framework and priorities for the next 10 years of international drug policy. IDPC and its members have followed with interest the process for reviewing progress against the objectives set at the General Assembly Special Session on Drugs in 1998 – namely, to eradicate or significantly reduce the production of, and demand for, the non-medical use of controlled drugs. The conclusions of that review and the resulting declaration are deeply disappointing. There is an almost total unwillingness to confront the real policy dilemmas, and a series of increasingly surreal political and diplomatic battles over wording that are entirely disconnected from the reality of drug use and problems as experienced in the outside world. Read the IDPC advocacy note on the Politcal Declaration here.