Drug sanction racial disparities have now reverted to mid-1980s levels

Evidence

Facially race-neutral drug policies allowed for discretion by police and prosecutors in ways that disproportionately affected African Americans. The punitive turn in drug control did not achieve its stated goals but did negatively affect the life chances of citizens with drug-related criminal records, particularly African Americans. In the early portion of the new millennium, however, several overlapping factors combined to deemphasize the aggressive law enforcement policies and tactics responsible for the rise in drug sanctioning. These policy reforms have led to steep reductions in drug arrest and imprisonment rates, but racial disparities remain. In the final section of this chapter, I argue that racial disparities in drug law enforcement cannot be fully remedied without constraining the discretion of police and the courts and, most importantly, prosecutors. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1036 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Racial drug-enforcement disparity traces directly to a deliberate mid-1980s policy pivot — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 1059; Discretion, not policy content, drives persistent racial drug disparities — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 1036; Anti-drug policy created the racial disparity that racist ideas later justified — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning: The…, 1089 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Discretion, not policy content, drives persistent racial drug disparities #complicates (0.78) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1036