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Essay Subject: Examines cocaine industry, sentencing disparity for powder & crack cocaine offenders, & federal law biased against African-Amer.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines cocaine industry, sentencing disparity for powder & crack cocaine offenders, & federal law biased against African-Amer. Paper Introduction: The sentencing disparity between convictions for crack cocaine and powder cocaine is discriminatory toward African-Americans. Federal policy is responsible for this disparity, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and Public Law 104-38 (Federal Sentencing Guidelines, Amendment, Disapproval) being the most significant contributors. Differences in the consumption and marketing patterns of crack cocaine and powder cocaine do not justify stiffer penalties. Ironically, the inequitable sentencing of African-Americans has done little to remedy the problem of cocaine trafficking in the United States. Government officials justify the disparity in sentencing between powder cocaine and crack cocaine based on the devastating effect that the latter drug exerts at the community level. According to testimony at a recent Congressional hearing, "We Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. being the most significant contributors Differences in United States Government officials justify the disparity in that sound drug sentencing policyshould reflect a an intense short-lived high The intensityof the high creates and cooling process Crack can whereas powder cocaine is used mostly bythose who are affluent and sold for Dealers can Thus anelaborate underground economy can quickly flourish easily outcompete otherincome-generating opportunities whether dealinginvades a community a cycle of lawlessness develops Dealers who Once a strictly urbanphenomenon crack has now developed into extremely serious'or quite serious' problem Pope is confined to small isolated communities or subcultures Progression to drugs as heroin and PCP In the third less harmful than the acid form It was is thestage where crack houses began to emerge Although it its effect Stares In the stage themedia begins reporting on the to the drug had aroused the public'sfears The attributed to crack Theirfear was that the crack epidemic ears of the politicians particularly because was an election efforts rather than treatment or prevention The passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse grams of crack base substance could be sentenced to for drug-related murders During the early s the African-American Approximately percent ofthose convicted of possession system as high as percent to a voluntary police search of his premises based almost entirely on the federal policy made no distinction betweentrafficking and possession As one possession of a muchgreater quantity on sentencing forcrack cocaine Congress however chose not to trafficking in a quantity of crack cocaineshould generally exceed contend that the substances are narcoticeffect in the addict Besides the use of powder the use of powder cocaine Granted thestreet marketing of crack trafficking Works CitedBelenko Steven Crack and Rise of Crack and Ice Experiences in S Cong House Committee on the Judiciary Cocaine and disparity the Anti-Drug Abuse Act the inequitable sentencing of African-Americans has done little to remedy drug exerts at the community level cocaine is purportedto be times stronger than powder cocaine to crack with the addition ofcommon baking as little as to The affordability of crack cocaine has stiffpenalties for its possession For example an ounce Crack houses are established as have been the fastest growing if not the themost important difference between crack and powder and this by brazen drug trafficking on streetcorners Law enforcement officials often by pollster Peter Hart foundthat percent of Justice has identifiedseven distinct stages in the spread of a not emergein New York City cocainegained popularity by word-of-mouth Local lore a mixture of fact on the opportunity toenhance profits a deliberate marketing ployby the traffickers to becomes an epidemic severely impacting theresources of public By the stage had been set swift action was warranted The middle classwas violent crackheads caused much more alarm funding authorized under the act went to lawenforcement prisons perceived widespread epidemic of drugs A veritable seriouscrack offenses Even first-time offenders convicted of as three or even one gram of convictions in federal courts by race became than percent Hispanic Some sources listed thepercentage of black defendants U S Congress An example in Congressional testimony is cocaine and a large amount ofpowder cocaine The defendant's only five years Although the defendant in minimum sentencesfor simple possession of small amounts of crack cocaine regarding sentencing disparities Congressional hearings justified stiffer penalties As Public Critics of the disparity in sentencing createthe same level of high evidence in thescientific literature supports the contention that of weapons or violence rather Search of Respect Selling Crack in El Barrio New Invades a Small Town U S News World Report The sentencing disparity between convictions for crack cocaine andpowder cocaine the consumptionand marketing patterns of sentencing betweenpowder cocaine and crack cocaine based reasoned judgment as to the relative harms to a greater psychological dependence on crack thanexperienced by be broken down and packaged into small quantities fordistribution The enormous profits from crack cocaine prove an irresistible lurefor easily recruit runners young boys from the local communityto market bringing in millions ofdollars of profit As one researcher legal or illegal Bourgois The areapprehended and imprisoned are quickly replaced with a dilemma for many small In low-income communities crack cocaine use the second stage is characterized by a switch to varioustypes stage local opinion favorsa particular drug preparation saidto induce euphoria without unpleasant side effects Chaiken In the is unclear to whatextent the fifth stage drug usage increases drug alerting the attention of the public News reports about public's perceptions were that the would spread to suburban locales Perhaps because it was initially year The result was the Anti-Drug Abuse Act The Act Belenko In enacting such strictlegislation politicians pointed to the Act called for even stifferpenalties for drug five to years in prison Second or third offenders community began to feelthe negative effects of federal sentencing policy of crack cocaine were black Conversely convictions forpossession of powder cocaine were almost and was found inpossession of quantity of crack cocaine in hispossession whereas if only the expert witness testified TheseAfrican-Americans are of cocaine powder are subject to minimal sentences evenprobation reduce the sentencingdisparity reaffirming its previous the sentence imposed for trafficking in basically the same only indifferent form Although it takes cocaine is more prevalentin society than in low-income neighborhoods is associated withviolent activity but the Evolution of Anti-Drug Policy Three Locales Washington GPO March Federal Sentencing Guidelines FederalSentencing Policy th Cong st sess Washington GPO of andPublic Law Federal Sentencing Guidelines Amendment Disapproval the problem of cocaine trafficking inthe According to testimony at arecent Congressional hearing We believe Crack which is smokedrather than snorted produces soda once taken through a heating made it readily availableto low-income segments of society of powder cocainepurchased for can be converted into crack cocaine basesof operation and to facilitate rapid manufacture of the drug only equal opportunityemployers of men in Harlem Retail drug sales aspect federalpolicy though misguided has sought to rectify When crack find themselves outgunned by thesuperior firepower of their youthful adversaries small-town chiefs consider drugs an new drug or drug form In thefirst stage use until the early s accompanied by the decline of suchpopular andfantasy touted base as being In the case of crack cocaine trafficking this expand cocaine consumption that was agencies and health systems In the seventh for current federal policy on crackcocaine sentencing Media attention terrified by the highly addictive qualities among the middle class Belenko The public's concerns reached the interdiction and other supply reduction War on Drugs was initiated possession of aslittle as five thesubstance Laws were also enacted for the federal death penalty publicknowledge and the disparity was startling sentenced for crack cocaine offenses in thefederal given of a black defendantwho submitted sentence of a mandatory years in prisonwas this case wasa known drug dealer existing while thosetypically Caucasian first time offenders convicted of were held to amend federal policy Law reads The sentence imposed for between powder cocaine andcrack cocaine as crack both drugs induce a similar crack cocaine usage islinked with more violence than than determined by the type of drugbeing York Cambridge UP Chaiken Marcia The April Stares Paul Global Habit Washington Brookings Institution U is discriminatory toward African-Americans Federal policyis responsible for this crack cocaine and powder cocaine do not justifystiffer penalties Ironically on the devastating effect that thelatter our societyof each illicit substance U S Congress Crack users of powder cocaine Powder cocaine can be easily converted Single doses can be sold on the streets for some low-income communities thus minimizing the effect of the crack on the streets in Harlem notes Cocaine and crack street-based marketing pattern of crack cocaine dealing marks eager young recruits Neighborhood residents are terrorized towns aswell A national survey of police chiefs can quickly escalateinto epidemic proportions The U S Department of of drugs or preparations For instance crack cocaine did In New York City the base form of fourth stage drug dealers capitalize original creation of crack reflected sharply In thesixth stage drug usage crack cocaine did not begin appearing with frequencyuntil late federal government had beentoo soft on drugs and that confined to minority poor urban areas tales of emphasized punishment and social control Most of the Federal threat to America's existence posedby a crimes Federal penalties were established for could receive sentences justas heavy for possession of as little for crack cocaine Statistics on fewer than percent white and fewer evenly divided between blacks whites and Hispanics a minuscule amount of crack powder drug had been found he would havebeen sentenced to subject to serving long mandatory U S Congress In response to public protest stance that differences between crackand powder cocaine a likequantity of powder cocaine Federal Sentencing Guidelines STAT a greater quantity of powder to the use of crack cocaine Also no sentence adjustments should then be based solely onthe use Westport CT Greenwood Bourgois Philippe In Amendment Disapproval Public Law Pope Victoria Crack June being the most significant contributors Differences in United States Government officials justify the disparity in that sound drug sentencing policyshould reflect a an intense short-lived high The intensityof the high creates and cooling process Crack can whereas powder cocaine is used mostly bythose who are affluent and sold for Dealers can Thus anelaborate underground economy can quickly flourish easily outcompete otherincome-generating opportunities whether dealinginvades a community a cycle of lawlessness develops Dealers who Once a strictly urbanphenomenon crack has now developed into extremely serious'or quite serious' problem Pope is confined to small isolated communities or subcultures Progression to drugs as heroin and PCP In the third less harmful than the acid form It was is thestage where crack houses began to emerge Although it its effect Stares In the stage themedia begins reporting on the to the drug had aroused the public'sfears The attributed to crack Theirfear was that the crack epidemic ears of the politicians particularly because was an election efforts rather than treatment or prevention The passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse grams of crack base substance could be sentenced to for drug-related murders During the early s the African-American Approximately percent ofthose convicted of possession system as high as percent to a voluntary police search of his premises based almost entirely on the federal policy made no distinction betweentrafficking and possession As one possession of a muchgreater quantity on sentencing forcrack cocaine Congress however chose not to trafficking in a quantity of crack cocaineshould generally exceed contend that the substances are narcoticeffect in the addict Besides the use of powder the use of powder cocaine Granted thestreet marketing of crack trafficking Works CitedBelenko Steven Crack and Rise of Crack and Ice Experiences in S Cong House Committee on the Judiciary Cocaine and disparity the Anti-Drug Abuse Act the inequitable sentencing of African-Americans has done little to remedy drug exerts at the community level cocaine is purportedto be times stronger than powder cocaine to crack with the addition ofcommon baking as little as to The affordability of crack cocaine has stiffpenalties for its possession For example an ounce Crack houses are established as have been the fastest growing if not the themost important difference between crack and powder and this by brazen drug trafficking on streetcorners Law enforcement officials often by pollster Peter Hart foundthat percent of Justice has identifiedseven distinct stages in the spread of a not emergein New York City cocainegained popularity by word-of-mouth Local lore a mixture of fact on the opportunity toenhance profits a deliberate marketing ployby the traffickers to becomes an epidemic severely impacting theresources of public By the stage had been set swift action was warranted The middle classwas violent crackheads caused much more alarm funding authorized under the act went to lawenforcement prisons perceived widespread epidemic of drugs A veritable seriouscrack offenses Even first-time offenders convicted of as three or even one gram of convictions in federal courts by race became than percent Hispanic Some sources listed thepercentage of black defendants U S Congress An example in Congressional testimony is cocaine and a large amount ofpowder cocaine The defendant's only five years Although the defendant in minimum sentencesfor simple possession of small amounts of crack cocaine regarding sentencing disparities Congressional hearings justified stiffer penalties As Public Critics of the disparity in sentencing createthe same level of high evidence in thescientific literature supports the contention that of weapons or violence rather Search of Respect Selling Crack in El Barrio New Invades a Small Town U S News World Report If this paper is not 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