Corrections Digest - Activists Will Target Unequal Impact On Minorities, Seek More Care Funding

Sep 28, 2026

Activists are organizing criminal justice reforms to address the drug war’s disproportionate impact on minorities and to increase federal funding for substance abuse treatment. The piece cites stark demographics of drug-related sentencing, highlights federal prosecution of Native Americans under federal law, and quotes the Drug Policy Alliance about racial profiling and sentencing disparities. It contrasts rising drug use and overdose deaths with increased treatment-oriented approaches and calls for greater faith-community and healthcare clinic involvement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Activists Will Target Unequal Impact On Minorities, Seek More Care Funding

Ohio Plans to Close 2 More Units, Cut Jobs

Missouri Opens $168M Maximum-Safety Unit

Alabama May Consider Private Contractors

February 14,2003Vol.34,No.6 IN THIS ISSUE Ohio Plans To Close TwoMore Prisons,Cut Staff……2Missouri Opens $168MMaximum-Security Unit……2Alabama May Rent BedsIn Private Prisons……………2Maine Reports Increases InFemale Drug Offenders……2Oregon Integrates Drug AndMental Health Program……3Paroles Dip In Texas……….3South Dakota Community PlanGives Youths Fresh Start……3South Carolina WildernessCamp Redeems Wayward...4Delaware Expands CapacityFor Juvenile Offenders..…4 IN THE COURTS 2nd Circuit Reverses FaultyAnalysis Of Death Penalty ..53rd Circuit Upholds PolicyOn Inmate Participation……59th Circuit Allows Prison To SetRules For Religious Meals ...5For Requesting Kosher MealsOhio Negates Parole Rule..6 ACROSS THE STATES California………………6Idaho,linois,Kentucky.……7Mass.,Missouri,S.C………7 DEATH ROWOhio,Oklahoma… …………7 # CorrectionsDIGEST The only independent news service for the corrections professional # Activists Will Target Unequal ImpactOn Minorities,Seek More Care Funding Activists are organizing forcriminal justice reforms that willaddress the drug war's dispropor-tionate impact on minorities and in-crease federal funding for substanceabuse treatment. More than 75 percent cf offend-ers serving drug-related sentencesare blacks and Hispanics,althoughDepartment of Health and HumanServices surveys show most of thenation's drug users are white. Because Native Americans catribal lands are subject to federailaw,Indians comprise almost two-thirds of those prosecuted for crimi-nal offenses in federal courts. "Virtually every drug war pol-icy from racial profiling to length ofsentencing is disproportionately car-ried out against minorities,"saidDeborah Small,director of publicpolicy and community outreach forthe Drug Policy Alliance. The alliance sponsored an anti-drug conference in Los Angeles thatattracted delegates from Europe andthe United States.Key speakers in-cluded California Rep.MaxineWaters,Texas Rep.Ciro Rodriguez,Massachusetts Rep.Barney Frank. One of the primary themes ofthe conference was the failure of in-carceration without treatment. Federal and state governmentsspent S40 billion for drug enforce-ment and prevention last year com-pared with $1 billion in 1980. But street-level dealing anddrug trafficking by almost anymeasure are continuing to increase,drug prices are faling and the qual-ity and purity of illicit drugs ishigher than at any time. Communities as diverse as in-ner city Baltimore and rural Maineare recording unprecedented num-bcrs of heroin overdose deaths be.cause users are unaccustomed to thepurity of drugs they can buy now. Former Baltimore Mayor KurtSchmoke estimated 60 percent ofblacks whe die from AIDS contractthe disease by injecting drugs. Schmoke called for more atten-tion to drug abuse as “a publichealth problem,not a criminal one.” In Australia,which has adopteda treatment-oriented approach todrug addiction,Australian publichealth specialist James A.Pitts saidthe rate of AIDS among injectiondrug users is the lowest among ad-vanced industrial countries. Faith leaders also said religiouscommunities have to become moreinvolved in working with drug usersand health clinics that serve them. CORRECTIONS DIGEST Page 2 ## OHIO PLANS TO CLOSE 2MORE UNITS,CUT JOBS Ohio Gov.Bob Taft announcedthe closing of two more correctionalfacilities and possibly cutting hun-dreds of more prison jobs. Taft last year closed one adultand one juvenile prison to address astate budget shortfall that has con-tinued to deepen. The Corrections Departmentsaid shuttering the units would trimmore than $30 million from its cur-rent budget. The governor designated theLima Correctional Institution thathas 1,565 men and the RiverviewJuvenile Correctional Facility thathouses 119 girls. The number of layoffs at theadult and juvenile prisons will bedetermined by the number whotransfer to other facilities or takeearly retirement incentives,state of-ficials said. Officials sai

FAQs

What reforms do activists advocate in this issue?

Activists seek criminal justice reforms aimed at reducing the drug war’s unequal impact on minorities and increasing federal funding for substance abuse treatment.

How does the article describe sentencing impacts on minorities in drug cases?

It states that more than 75% of offenders serving drug-related sentences are Black and Hispanic, and it cites survey findings about drug users by race.

What examples does the article use to support a treatment-focused approach?

It references international and domestic models, including Australia’s treatment-oriented approach and faith leaders’ calls for greater involvement with drug users and health clinics.

Sep 28, 2026

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