Nkechi_Taifa1_147.mp4

25 YEARS OF INJUSTICE: SENTENCING DISPARITIES FOR CRACK AND POWDER COCAINE (Part 1 of 2)
They are the same drug, pharmacologically speaking, argues Nkechi Taifa of the Open Society Institute, but the penalties for possessing crack cocaine are far more severe than for powder cocaine. Possession of five grams of crack -- the size of a sugar packet -- is punished by a mandatory five year sentence under federal law, whereas it takes 100 grams of powder cocaine to get that punishment. Why the disparity? Why are communities of color more severely treated? Attorney General Eric Holder and US Sentencing Commission favor treating crack and powder cocaine offenses the same, as does a growing chorus in the law enforcement community. But what about Congress? (Host: Angela Jordan Davis)

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• crack;
• cocaine;
• sentencing;
• disparity