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$3.3 Million More To Fight Drugs? |
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Chicago, IL - At a time of fiscal crisis, the Illinois House of Representatives voted unanimously to continue a tried and failed method in its war against marijuana: more jail time. Last week the House passed HB5652, which limits the amount of time a prisoner convicted of cannabis trafficking may receive for time off for good behavior. The Department of Corrections reported that this bill would cost the state $3,295,500 annually.
"We don't have money for schools," said Bryan Brickner, chair of Illinois NORML, "but the legislature is saying we have enough money to keep well-behaved marijuana traffickers in jail, just as long as we can. And, given the racial disparities concerning incarceration rates in Illinois, we know this means more black men are going to serve more time."
"Illinois incarcerates 1 out of every 392 white men and 1 out of every 23 black men. In other words, the ratio of black to white men incarcerated in Illinois is 17 to 1. So when the legislature votes to limit the good conduct credit, we can be pretty sure of the race of the person we are keeping in jail."
The Human Rights Watch of May 2000, Vol. 12 p. 17, reported the following concerning race and the drug war:
The high and disproportionate number of blacks who are sent to prison should be a cause for national concern regardless of the crime for which they are convicted. What may be most troubling about black incarceration, however, is that it is propelled by nonviolent drug offenses. In other words, but for the war on drugs, the extent of black incarceration would be significantly lower.
HB5652 is now in the Illinois Senate. For more information contact Bryan Brickner (773) 395-9708; Dianna Brickner (312) 799-2608; or Steve Young (630) 452-4486.
The Illinois chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
Illinoisnorml.org |
