Advocates and members of community groups attend a rally against drug arrests in front of One Police Plaza on June 13, 2012 in New York City. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Sep 28, 2021
Civil rights advocates on Tuesday called on the U.S. Senate to follow in the House's footsteps after the lower chamber overwhelmingly voted to eliminate the sentencing disparity between offenses involving crack and powder cocaine.
The House passed the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act (H.R. 1693) in a bipartisan vote of 361-66, with only Republicans voting against the legislation.
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in March, would allow people previously convicted of crack cocaine offenses to petition for sentence reductions.
"Failed 'tough on crime' policies have had a markedly disproportionate impact on communities of color," said the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the ACLU in a letter (pdf) to Congress on Monday. "Today, [the Bureau of Prisons] reports that 38% of its current prison population is Black, and 30.2% is Hispanic--an enormous disparity given that both groups combined represent only about one third of the nation's population."
\u201cBREAKING: The House just passed the #EQUALAct (361-66) to eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine \u2013 an unjust disparity that has disproportionately ripped apart Black families and devastated Black communities.\n\nThe Senate MUST act to #EndTheDisparity.\u201d— The Leadership Conference (@The Leadership Conference) 1632855092
The disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentences has persisted for more than three decades, following former President Ronald Reagan's signing of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. The law implemented a minimum sentence of five years for the possession of at least five grams of crack and at least 500 grams of the much more expensive powder cocaine.
With crack cocaine more accessible in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, within four years of the passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, the average federal drug-related prison sentence was 49% higher for Black Americans than for white Americans.
"For 35 years, the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, based on neither evidence nor science, has resulted in higher sentences that are disproportionately borne by Black families and communities," Aamra Ahmad, ACLU senior policy counsel, said Tuesday. "We applaud the House for passing the EQUAL Act, which will finally end that disparity, including for thousands of people still serving sentences under the unjust disparity who would now have the opportunity to petition courts for a reduced sentence."
The ACLU called on the Senate to "quickly follow suit and finally end this racially unjust policy."
\u201cCongress must continue to work to end the war on drugs, including ending mandatory minimum sentences that disproportionately impact communities of color while failing to make us safer.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1632855741
The Senate's version of the EQUAL Act is sponsored by six lawmakers from both parties--Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio).
"Enjoying broad support from faith groups, civil rights organizations, law enforcement, and people of all political backgrounds, this commonsense bill will help reform our criminal justice system so that it better lives up to the ideals of true justice and equality under the law," said the senators. "We applaud the House for its vote today and we urge our colleagues in the Senate to support this historic legislation."
If all the Democrats in the evenly divided Senate support the legislation, the party would need at least 10 Republicans to join them in voting for it.
"Passing the EQUAL Act is not a policy win, it's a people win," said Kevin Ring, president of the FAMM Foundation, which works with family members of incarcerated people to advocate for criminal justice reform.
"Real people want their husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and sons and daughters home sooner," Ring said. "Let's finish the job."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Our Summer Campaign is now underway, and there’s never been a more urgent time for Common Dreams to be as vigilant as possible. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Civil rights advocates on Tuesday called on the U.S. Senate to follow in the House's footsteps after the lower chamber overwhelmingly voted to eliminate the sentencing disparity between offenses involving crack and powder cocaine.
The House passed the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act (H.R. 1693) in a bipartisan vote of 361-66, with only Republicans voting against the legislation.
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in March, would allow people previously convicted of crack cocaine offenses to petition for sentence reductions.
"Failed 'tough on crime' policies have had a markedly disproportionate impact on communities of color," said the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the ACLU in a letter (pdf) to Congress on Monday. "Today, [the Bureau of Prisons] reports that 38% of its current prison population is Black, and 30.2% is Hispanic--an enormous disparity given that both groups combined represent only about one third of the nation's population."
\u201cBREAKING: The House just passed the #EQUALAct (361-66) to eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine \u2013 an unjust disparity that has disproportionately ripped apart Black families and devastated Black communities.\n\nThe Senate MUST act to #EndTheDisparity.\u201d— The Leadership Conference (@The Leadership Conference) 1632855092
The disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentences has persisted for more than three decades, following former President Ronald Reagan's signing of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. The law implemented a minimum sentence of five years for the possession of at least five grams of crack and at least 500 grams of the much more expensive powder cocaine.
With crack cocaine more accessible in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, within four years of the passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, the average federal drug-related prison sentence was 49% higher for Black Americans than for white Americans.
"For 35 years, the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, based on neither evidence nor science, has resulted in higher sentences that are disproportionately borne by Black families and communities," Aamra Ahmad, ACLU senior policy counsel, said Tuesday. "We applaud the House for passing the EQUAL Act, which will finally end that disparity, including for thousands of people still serving sentences under the unjust disparity who would now have the opportunity to petition courts for a reduced sentence."
The ACLU called on the Senate to "quickly follow suit and finally end this racially unjust policy."
\u201cCongress must continue to work to end the war on drugs, including ending mandatory minimum sentences that disproportionately impact communities of color while failing to make us safer.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1632855741
The Senate's version of the EQUAL Act is sponsored by six lawmakers from both parties--Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio).
"Enjoying broad support from faith groups, civil rights organizations, law enforcement, and people of all political backgrounds, this commonsense bill will help reform our criminal justice system so that it better lives up to the ideals of true justice and equality under the law," said the senators. "We applaud the House for its vote today and we urge our colleagues in the Senate to support this historic legislation."
If all the Democrats in the evenly divided Senate support the legislation, the party would need at least 10 Republicans to join them in voting for it.
"Passing the EQUAL Act is not a policy win, it's a people win," said Kevin Ring, president of the FAMM Foundation, which works with family members of incarcerated people to advocate for criminal justice reform.
"Real people want their husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and sons and daughters home sooner," Ring said. "Let's finish the job."
Civil rights advocates on Tuesday called on the U.S. Senate to follow in the House's footsteps after the lower chamber overwhelmingly voted to eliminate the sentencing disparity between offenses involving crack and powder cocaine.
The House passed the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act (H.R. 1693) in a bipartisan vote of 361-66, with only Republicans voting against the legislation.
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in March, would allow people previously convicted of crack cocaine offenses to petition for sentence reductions.
"Failed 'tough on crime' policies have had a markedly disproportionate impact on communities of color," said the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the ACLU in a letter (pdf) to Congress on Monday. "Today, [the Bureau of Prisons] reports that 38% of its current prison population is Black, and 30.2% is Hispanic--an enormous disparity given that both groups combined represent only about one third of the nation's population."
\u201cBREAKING: The House just passed the #EQUALAct (361-66) to eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine \u2013 an unjust disparity that has disproportionately ripped apart Black families and devastated Black communities.\n\nThe Senate MUST act to #EndTheDisparity.\u201d— The Leadership Conference (@The Leadership Conference) 1632855092
The disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentences has persisted for more than three decades, following former President Ronald Reagan's signing of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. The law implemented a minimum sentence of five years for the possession of at least five grams of crack and at least 500 grams of the much more expensive powder cocaine.
With crack cocaine more accessible in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, within four years of the passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, the average federal drug-related prison sentence was 49% higher for Black Americans than for white Americans.
"For 35 years, the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, based on neither evidence nor science, has resulted in higher sentences that are disproportionately borne by Black families and communities," Aamra Ahmad, ACLU senior policy counsel, said Tuesday. "We applaud the House for passing the EQUAL Act, which will finally end that disparity, including for thousands of people still serving sentences under the unjust disparity who would now have the opportunity to petition courts for a reduced sentence."
The ACLU called on the Senate to "quickly follow suit and finally end this racially unjust policy."
\u201cCongress must continue to work to end the war on drugs, including ending mandatory minimum sentences that disproportionately impact communities of color while failing to make us safer.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1632855741
The Senate's version of the EQUAL Act is sponsored by six lawmakers from both parties--Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio).
"Enjoying broad support from faith groups, civil rights organizations, law enforcement, and people of all political backgrounds, this commonsense bill will help reform our criminal justice system so that it better lives up to the ideals of true justice and equality under the law," said the senators. "We applaud the House for its vote today and we urge our colleagues in the Senate to support this historic legislation."
If all the Democrats in the evenly divided Senate support the legislation, the party would need at least 10 Republicans to join them in voting for it.
"Passing the EQUAL Act is not a policy win, it's a people win," said Kevin Ring, president of the FAMM Foundation, which works with family members of incarcerated people to advocate for criminal justice reform.
"Real people want their husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and sons and daughters home sooner," Ring said. "Let's finish the job."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.