War on Drugs
Massachusetts Steps Away from Mandatory Minimums
Published November 19, 2009 @ 08:57AM PT
The Massachusetts Senate yesterday passed a bill that would open the possibility of parole for prisoners convicted of nonviolent drug crimes. Many were sentenced under mandatory minimum laws and aren't currently eligible for parole. Finally, amidst budget difficulties, another state is seeing the light.
On its website, Families Against Mandatory Minimums profiles Robert Anger, a Massachusetts prisoner who could potentially be eligible for parole if the bill becomes law. Anger, from Vermont, became addicted to OxyContin as a teenager and soon transitioned to heroin. He began selling cocaine to support his habit and was arrested in Massachusetts in 2004 buying cocaine worth $15,000. He was 22 when a judge sentenced him under mandatory statute to 15 years in prison, saying "I wish I had discretion" as he did it. His full story is here.
"The Wind is at Our Back"
Published November 14, 2009 @ 05:36AM PT
This weekend, the Drug Policy Alliance is hosting its annual Reform Conference in Albuquerque, and DPA Executive Director Ethan Nadelmann opened the event Thursday with a passionate speech about the momentum that drug reform feels in D.C. and across the country.
"The wind is at our back," Nadelmann said. "And we are making progress like we've never seen before." He called on the movement to continue working to create a political landscape that will allow Congress and the President to move toward harm reduction and legalization policies. The change won't come from the top until we lay the groundwork, he said. His passion and optimism is infectious and it's a speech worth watching.
Watch Nadelmann's full speech after the jump.
With 140,000 Veterans in Prison, We Can Do Better
Published November 11, 2009 @ 10:50AM PT
This Veterans' Day is a chance to honor the hundreds of thousands of military veterans among us, including those serving today at home and overseas.
It should also serve as a day to remember the 140,000 veterans in American state and federal prisons. Many of them served our country at wartime, and many shouldn't be behind bars.
A new report from the Drug Policy Alliance makes a strong case for an expansion of veteran services in this country, recommending that we focus more on treatment and services for those suffering from afflictions like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury and urging an expansion of substance abuse treatment for people who have served in the military.
There's a high rate of substance abuse among veterans, and another connection between substance abuse and prison, unfortunately this connection is all too strong thanks to our war on drugs. We need alternative solutions to avoid locking up the men and women who serve our country.
On Needle Exchanges, Another 1,000-Foot Mistake
Published November 09, 2009 @ 07:22AM PT
I wish this post brought better news. A bill before Congress would lift the ban on federal funding for needle exchanges. Good so far, right?
Here’s the problem: the bill would actually extend the ban formost of the 200 needle exchanges in the U.S., by preventing them from drawing federal money if they are within 1,000 feet of a school, library, park, college, video arcade or any other place children might gather. It’s a backhanded effort to hinder needle exchanges, and its result will be higher rates of HIV and AIDS, STDs and drug addiction.
A parallel rule will block city funding for exchanges in Washington, D.C., that fail the 1,000-foot test. The D.C. bill was introduced by U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, a Georgia Republican, who claims to be thinking of the children.
“Let’s protect these kids,” he told the Times. “They don’t need to be playing kickball in the playground and seeing people lined up for needle exchange.”
Oh, the horror. Can you imagine? How could they possibly continue with their kickball game, once their innocence has been stolen by a line of scary heroin addicts right outside the playground? Kingston's comment is straight-up fear mongering and, like other 1,000-foot rules, the bill masquerades punishment as safety.
I've yet to see a 1,000-foot rule (or a 2,500-foot rule) that I would support -- whether it be a drug sentence enhancement, a sex offender restriction or this needle exchange nonsense. These are long distances, and they make it especially hard to provide services in an urban environment. Sure, we shouldn’t have a needle exchange at a school. We shouldn’t hire convicted sex offenders as teachers. But why can’t we make these distance laws read “within sight of” instead of 1,000 feet?
Smart on Crime in North Carolina
Published October 30, 2009 @ 06:19AM PT
A few years ago, the West End neighborhood of High Point, North Carolina, had a serious crime problem. Drug dealers controlled entire blocks, gun shots rang out at night. But now the streets are safer. Violence is down. And locals say a targeted, community-based approach to drugs and crime brought the change they needed.
A great story last week in the Economist checks in on High Point and finds solid evidence that the 'smart-on-crime' approach works.
High Point Police Chief Jim Fealy tells the Economist that his department did the normal thing for years, where officers would “come rolling in like an occupying army" and descend upon West End's rough blocks. It didn't work.
Are We Moving Toward Marijuana Decriminalization?
Published October 19, 2009 @ 04:20PM PT
It was a good day for marijuana reformers:
The Obama administration today clarified its already-sensible position on medicinal marijuana.
A judge ruled that the city of Los Angeles didn't follow state law when it banned new medical marijuana dispensaries.
And, a new Gallup poll (above) found support for legalization at a 40-year high in the U.S. at 44%. The poll over time is above, those two lines are moving mighty close together.
What does it all mean?
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: Starting a Conversation
Published October 14, 2009 @ 11:53AM PT
Matt was kind enough to let me invade his blog with a couple of guest posts. My name is David Bratzer and I've been a police officer in British Columbia for four years. Before that I worked as a jailer in city cells (aka the drunk tank) for two years. And before that, I worked in a couple of different areas: air traffic control trainee, tech support for an Internet startup, fast food cook, ESL teacher in Russia, residence assistant and a few other jobs as well. This speaks to the hiring practices of modern police agencies. They like to recruit officers with life experience, particularly the kind that demonstrates ethical decision making, respect for diversity and a sense of adaptability.
In my spare time, while off-duty, I manage the daily blog for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.
LEAP is a group of 16,000 cops, judges and prosecutors who want to end the War on Drugs. We don't support or encourage drug abuse, but we believe that a system of regulation would be more ethical and less harmful than prohibition.
Like my work in drug policy reform, I should clarify that whatever I write here is my own opinion. My thoughts are influenced by my experiences on the job, but they certainly don't represent the official position of the department where I work. With that said, here are a couple of ideas about some broad trends in law enforcement:
1) DNA - A lot of people think we've already seen the criminal justice benefits of DNA. However, there is a lot of good still to come from this area of science. More on this later.
2) Video surveillance - One of the best technologies for solving crime and increasing police accountability. It will become more pervasive, which is not a bad thing as long as it is regulated properly.
3) Use of force - An often misunderstood area of policing. Life altering decisions are made in seconds and then analyzed for months and years afterwards. I will try to offer “the cop perspective,” and at the same time make a few suggestions on how the profession of law enforcement could improve in this area.
I hope to write more about these topics, but I thought it might be nice to start with some Q & A. If you leave a question in the comments section on any topic related to law enforcement, I’ll do my best to answer it in my next post.
