Pubdate: Sat, 07 Jun 2003 Source: Racine Journal Times, The (WI) Copyright: 2003, The Racine Journal Times Contact: http://www.journaltimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1659 Author: Phyllis Sides Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?214 (Drug Policy Alliance) REPORT: STATE BLACKS ARE 53 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO GO TO PRISON FOR DRUG OFFENSE MOUNT PLEASANT - The war on drugs is a war on people of color, officials from the Drug Policy Alliance said Friday. The Alliance's conference, held at the Racine Marriott Hotel, brought together leaders from communities most affected by drug law enforcement to understand the war's impact on communities of color. The organization is based in New York and works to reform drug laws. "We're going to look at the history of drug prohibition in the U.S. How drug policy fits in with race and class, with addiction and treatment, with crime and punishment and how the criminal justice system deals addiction," said Deborah Small, director of public policy and community outreach for the Alliance. In the United States black men are incarcerated for drug offenses at 13 times the rate of white men despite equal rates of drug use across races, according to a report by the advocacy group Human Rights Watch. The report found that in Wisconsin that blacks are 53 times more likely to go to prison for a drug offense than a white man. The rate is the second highest in the country and more than four times the national average. Presenter Lenard Wells said changes have to be made to policies that return people their communities without proper support. Wells is the chairperson of the State of Wisconsin Parole Commission. "States just send people back without support," Wells said. "We have to work with churches, community-based organizations and families they all can play a part in coordinating reentry." The conference, "Breaking the Chains: Communities of Color and the War on Drugs," was sponsored by WISDOM, a statewide interfaith organization. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom