Pubdate: Sat, 08 Mar 2008
Source: Hickory Daily Record (NC)
Copyright: 2008 Hickory Daily Record
Contact:  http://www.hickoryrecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1109
Author: Andrew Mackie
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/racial.htm (Racial Issues)

MCHENRY SAYS NO DEAL TO COCAINE LAW CHANGE

HICKORY -- A disparity in the prison sentences of crack  cocaine 
offenders vs. powder cocaine offenders spurred  legislation recently 
to provide judges with more  flexibility in reducing such sentences.

U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry said the move would mean  disastrous 
results for North Carolina.

About 460 prisoners would be released in the state,  according to a 
Justice Department report, McHenry said  during a Friday conference 
call with news media,  including roughly 100 inmates in the next year.

"This is something all Americans should be concerned  about," he said.

McHenry cited several other statistics for his  position. Eighty 
percent of crack cocaine violators  have previous records, he said. 
The Justice Department  reports higher recidivism rates among those 
prisoners.  And about 65 percent had a criminal history involving 
serious crimes of assault or worse, McHenry said.

Supporters of the change, including former president  Bill Clinton, 
say crack cocaine offenders were unfairly  targeted under U.S. 
sentencing guidelines.

Current federal penalties for selling five grams of  crack cocaine 
can warrant the same prison sentence as  dealing 500 grams of the 
powdered type.

The issue also contains a racial element as nearly 82  percent of 
federal court defendants are black, but  comprise only 27 percent of 
those sentenced for dealing  powder cocaine.

Civil rights advocates argue crack dealers often are  targeted for 
longer prison terms because the drug is in  urban and minority communities.

McHenry also criticized the House Budget Committee's  fiscal year 
2009 budget, which calls for a $683 billion  tax increase, the 
nation's largest in history.

McHenry said raising taxes during economic uncertainly  would be "immoral."

"The last thing we need is an additional tax burden,"  he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom