Drug Law Sentencing Reform

LAC advocates reform of mandatory sentencing laws to enable community sanctioning, including mandated alcohol and drug treatment, of appropriate offenders. Most people convicted of drug offenses are non-violent and have alcohol and drug problems that require treatment, but many are sent to prison under mandatory minimum sentencing laws that deny judges the opportunity to make reasoned, case-by-case determinations of the appropriate punishment.

Drug and alcohol treatment services repeatedly have been shown to effectively reduce crime and drug use and help ensure the individual's successful reentry into society.  Many jurisdictions nationwide have implemented alternative to incarceration programs, such as drug courts, to better address the issue of drugs and crime.  Eliminating mandatory incarceration and mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes would give courts flexibility in sentencing addicted individuals to drug treatment and/or successful alternative to incarceration programs.

LAC recently advocated for S. 1711, the "Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2007," introduced by Senator Biden (D-DE).  This bill would eliminate the sentencing disparity for people convicted of crack and powder cocaine offenses, and would help to expand treatment opportunities for incarcerated people with substance use disorders.  Because crack and powder cocaine derive from the same substance and no scientific basis for the current disparity exists, LAC strongly supports eliminating the sentencing disparity.   Eliminating these sentencing differences for individuals convicted of crack and powder cocaine offenses would both reduce the disparity in punishment for African-Americans and Latinos (who are disproportionately affected by such harsh sentencing laws) and help expand alternatives to incarceration and treatment for individuals who are addicted to these drugs.   

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