Pubdate: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 Source: Washington Post (DC) Copyright: 2002 The Washington Post Company Contact: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491 Author: Cheryl W. Thompson SEEKING A WELFARE RULE'S REPEAL Report Says Ban on Aid to Drug Users 'Devastates' Children. A lifetime ban on welfare benefits for women convicted of drug crimes is having "devastating consequences" for poor women and their children and should be repealed immediately, according to a study released yesterday. The study by the Washington-based Sentencing Project found that the ban, which took effect in 1996 as part of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, affects more than 92,000 women and 135,000 children. Nearly half of those affected are African American or Hispanic. The Welfare Reform Act allows the denial of financial assistance, including food stamps, to anyone convicted of felony drug use or selling drugs. "This short-sighted law places children and families at a much higher risk for failure and ensures ever-growing societal costs to repair the damage," said Marc Mauer, assistant director of the Sentencing Project, an organization that promotes alternatives to imprisonment. Twenty-two states, including Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia, deny all benefits, the study showed. Ten states require drug treatment as a condition of receiving benefits and 10 have partial bans. Eight states and the District have opted out of the ban. Massachusetts modified its lifetime ban in December and now allows anyone convicted of drug crimes to be eligible for food stamps, according to the study. However, they cannot receive cash assistance for the first year of their release unless they meet certain exemptions, such as pregnancy. In Wisconsin, mothers remain eligible for food stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families if they pass random drug tests. Mothers who test positive for drugs immediately lose their eligibility. Nearly 35,000 African American women and 10,000 Hispanic women -- 48 percent of the total of those denied benefits -- are affected, the study found. African American women in Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Mississippi and Virginia make up the majority of women denied benefits. Hispanic women were affected most in California and Arizona. In Virginia, twice as many African American women were convicted of felony drug offenses as white women; in Illinois, more than 8,800 African American women were convicted of a drug crime compared with 1,029 white women, according to the study. The study recommends that Congress hold hearings on the issue and "consider an immediate repeal of the lifetime welfare ban." It also urges state governments to consider opting out of the ban or modifying it. States that link drug treatment to welfare benefits should offer additional programs such as job training or GED courses "to allow women to maintain their welfare benefits," the study said. "The well-being of children is intimately linked to the well-being of their parents, which is why this law is a direct threat to so many families," said Patricia Allard, the study's author. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh