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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom