Pubdate: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 Source: State Journal-Register (IL) Copyright: 2000 The State Journal-Register Contact: P.O. Box 219, Springfield, IL 62705-0219 Fax: (217) 788-1551 Website: http://www.sj-r.com/ Author: Adrana Colindres, State Capitol Bureau BLACKS JAILED FOR DRUGS FAR MORE OFTEN THAN WHITES Black men in Illinois are heading to prison on drug charges at a rate 57 times higher than the rate for white men, according to a report being released today. The Illinois figure exceeds that of any of the other 36 states whose prison admission rates were examined in the report from Human Rights Watch, a New York City-based organization that describes itself as "dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world." "What we hope is that this report will lead to a stock-taking by public officials, both as to the racial impact of the war on drugs and the absurdly high levels of incarceration, regardless of race," said Jamie Fellner, author of the report and associate counsel for Human Rights Watch. "You simply can't have a functioning democracy in which so many people are in prison for non-violent offenses." By and large, people imprisoned for drug-related crimes aren't dealt with appropriately, Fellner said. As a result, prisons across the country are full of non-violent drug offenders. Prison isn't the only solution, she said, maintaining that there should be more emphasis on substance abuse treatment and prevention programs. "Part of our view is at this point, the cure is worse than the disease. Black neighborhoods are as decimated by overincarceration as they are by drug abuse," she said. Fellner's report, "Punishment and Prejudice: Racial Disparities in the War on Drugs," is available online at www.hrw.org/reports/2000/usa/. According to the report, in 1996, the most recent year for which statistics were available, 1,146 of every 100,000 adult black men in Illinois were sent to prison on drug offenses. In comparison, 20 of every 100,000 adult white men in this state were incarcerated on drug offenses the same year. "Nationwide, the rate of drug admissions to state prison for black men is 13 times greater than the rate for white men," the report says. The figures on prison admissions by race don't specify what drug crimes - possession or selling, for instance - were involved. Other findings of the report include: - - Nationwide, blacks make up 62 percent of drug offenders admitted to state prisons. - - Two out of five blacks -- 40 percent -- sent to prison are convicted of drug offenses, compared with one in four whites -- 25 percent. - - Nationwide, one in every 20 black men older than 18 is in prison. Human Rights Watch singled out several states, in addition to Illinois, to point out examples of racial disparities. For instance, the report said, black men convicted of drug charges are heading to Wisconsin prisons at a rate 53 times higher than that for white men. That rate is second only to Illinois'. The Human Rights Watch report is based on several sources of data, including the National Corrections Reporting Program conducted each year by the U.S. Department of Justice. The report used NCRP data and included prison admissions information from just 37 states. A spokesman for Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, Jerry Owens, said the report offers "certainly provocative findings," and it merits further study. Ryan's policy staff will examine the report, Owens said, adding that his boss "believes in equal justice and a fair and impartial judicial system." Morgan County State's Attorney Charles Colburn, who is president of the Illinois State's Attorneys Association, said he hadn't seen the report or reviewed its methodology. "But from my standpoint, we prosecute cases as they come to us" and regardless of who is involved, he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck