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The ravages of drug addiction and heavy-handed
drug enforcement policies have hit minority communities the hardest.
Drug use levels are relatively consistent across racial lines.
However, minorities are much more likely to be convicted on
drug-related charges, and have considerably less access to treatment
facilities. According to federal government statistics, in 1996, 5.2 percent
of Hispanics, 6.1 percent of whites, and 7.5 percent of blacks
admitted to using illicit drugs within the past
month. In that same year, 23 percent of the people sentenced to state prisons for drug
offenses were Hispanic, 20 percent were white, and 57 percent were
black. However, the individuals who were admitted into treatment in
1996 were 10.8 percent Hispanic, 73.3 percent white, and 24.9
percent black.
Proposition 36 will create
a diversion-to-treatment system for all non-violent, drug
possession offenders. Any individual, regardless of race or economic status,
will be able to enter treatment if they meet the criteria for
diversion. Treatment costs will be covered for those who need assistance,
and all treatment regimens will be designed for each individual offender.
Proposition 36
defines treatment to include many programs that will help strengthen
families and communities. Examples include, but are not limited to,
vocational training, family counseling, literacy training, drug education
and prevention, as well as out-patient and residential treatment
programs. Breaking the cycle of addiction and incarceration will bring
many non-violent, addicted offenders back to their families and
communities ready to serve as productive parents and role models.
All research references are available upon request.
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Fifty-four percent of blacks convicted
of drug offenses receive prison sentences versus
thirty-four percent of whites convicted of the
same crimes.
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, BJS, '96
Between 1990 and 1995, three Hispanic males were added
to the prison population for every one added to
California's four-year public universities.
Class Dismissed: Higher Education vs.
Corrections During the Wilson Years, Justice Policy Institute, '98
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