More than 38,200 suspects were referred to federal prosecutors in 1999 for alleged drug offenses, up from 11,854 in 1984. About 84 percent of those suspects were subsequently charged in a U.S. court, showed the figures, which were released yesterday.

But criminal justice experts immediately questioned the agency's conclusions, saying that according to Sentencing Commission figures, sentences had fallen during the 1990s. Others questioned whether more punitive prison terms would in reality deter drug crime if prevention and treatment did not also become a priority.

Changes in federal statutes mean that from 1984 to 1999, prison terms imposed on drug offenders increased from 62 months to 74 months on average. Almost 90 percent of drug defendants were convicted, and the vast majority were convicted of drug trafficking. Less than one in 20 were convicted of simple possession of drugs.

Of the 38,288 suspects referred to federal prosecutors for alleged drug offenses during 1999, 31 percent were involved with marijuana, 28 percent cocaine powder, 15 percent crack cocaine and 15 percent methamphetamine. The rest were involved with opiates and other drugs. Just over half were younger than 30, and most were importers, manufacturers and large-scale dealers.

Racial differences were stark: 86 percent of crack cocaine offenders were black, and 72 percent of methamphetamine offenders were white. Cocaine was spread widely through all ethnic groups.

During 1999, the longest prison terms were imposed on drug offenders involved with crack (114 months), drug offenders who possessed firearms (156 months) and those with extensive records (125 months). Twenty-eight percent of defendants received reduced sentences after providing substantial assistance to prosecutors.

Attorney General John D. Ashcroft welcomed the findings. "This report shows that tougher federal drug laws are making a real difference in clearing major drug offenders from our streets," he said. "Federal law enforcement is targeted effectively at convicting major drug traffickers and punishing them with longer lockups in prison."

But law professors from the Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis questioned the Bureau of Statistics' conclusions, arguing that since 1991-1992 the average length of federal drug sentences has declined steadily and dramatically.

They said that figures from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts revealed that the average drug sentence had declined by 22 percent -- or nearly two years -- per defendant, and that preliminary figures from the Sentencing Commission showed the decline continuing throughout fiscal 2000.

"It's clear to me that more federal judges and prosecutors have voted with their feet on sentence length," said Frank O. Bowman III, associate law professor and co-author of "Quiet Rebellion? Explaining Nearly a Decade of Declining Federal Drug Sentences." "They are saying as a group that they don't think drug sentences need to be as long as they are to accomplish their aim."

Alfred Blumstein, a criminologist at Carnegie-Mellon University, said the apparent inconsistency in the figures could be explained by a strong growth in the length of sentences during the 1980s, which had leveled and declined during the '90s.

He pointed out that in 1999, 92 percent of first-time offenders were sent to prison -- higher than most, if not all, other crimes. But most of the dealers who were sent to prison had been arrested previously -- two-thirds had been arrested before and four in 10 had been arrested four or more times.

"There's a mixed message," said James Alan Fox, Lipman professor of criminal justice at Northeastern University. "More drug sellers are being incarcerated, but that means that business is being redistributed. It's like a superstore which puts small-time independent office product retailers out of business. It doesn't mean that no people are buying office products."

"The problem with punitive responses is that it does not take you very far," Blumstein said. "The drug market is demand driven . . . and so you have to deal with that through prevention and treatment."

Source: Washington Post (DC)
Author: Glenda Cooper, Washington Post Staff Writer
Published: Monday, August 20, 2001; Page A02
Copyright: 2001 The Washington Post Company
Contact: letters@washpost.com
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/

Related Articles & Web Site:

Bureau of Justice Statistics
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/

Justice: Federal Drug Charges Rise
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10664.shtml

Crime Rate Dropped, but Sentencing Grew Tougher
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10604.shtml

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According to Ashcroft, these figures show that the police is dismantling the drug market. The reality is that as usual the effect is minimal and that self serving cops , prosecutors and other drug war bureaucrats play with the numbers to justify their jobs.

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Here's a dissertation project for some aspiring criminology grad student: Tease out those 31% and see how many really sold cannabis, how many were medical marijuana patients, etc. Examine the effect on their families. Tell us how the arrest enhanced our society and at what cost. Enquiring people want to know.

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