Pubdate: Sat, 18 Oct 2014
Source: Boston Herald (MA)
Copyright: 2014 The Boston Herald, Inc
Contact:  http://news.bostonherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53
Note: Prints only very short LTEs.
Page: 8

DRUGS AND THE COURTS

In his first major public address, the chief justice of the Supreme 
Judicial Court called for the repeal of mandatory minimum drug sentences.

The case put forth Thursday by Ralph Gants, a former federal 
prosecutor for more than eight years, is a compelling one.

He noted the "disparate impact" of mandatory minimum drug sentences 
on racial and ethnic minorities. In fiscal 2013, 450 defendants got 
such mandatory minimums. And while minorities represented 32 percent 
of all convicted offenders, they represented 75 percent of those 
convicted of mandatory drug offenses.

And often, Gants said, prosecutors use the stick of mandatory drug 
sentences in the plea bargaining process.

But the challenge Gants raised to "those who favor the status quo in 
the so-called war on drugs," was, "how well is the status quo working?

"Heroin is cheaper, more easily available, and more deadly than it 
has been in my lifetime," he added. "Drug overdose is now the leading 
cause of accidental death in Massachusetts, exceeding motor vehicle accidents."

Gants is no softie. But he is about making the punishment actually 
fit the crime - something made more difficult by mandatory minimum 
drug sentences. Well-thought-out sentencing guidelines, treatment and 
an expansion of specialized drug courts will do far more to solve the 
problem than mandatory minimums.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom