Crack Dealers Amnesty – A Liberal Congress and its Folly

On November 1, 2007, a federal rule that will shorten prison time for crack-cocaine dealers went into effect and the media stood silent. Our liberal Congress had until Nov. 1 to turn down recommendations that the U.S. Sentencing commission offered in May, but it let the deadline pass with no action. Therefore it will become the new law of the land. Congress under Republican control had denied the commissions recommendations twice before, but not this time. And why? Because of political correctness and it will mean the freedom for nearly 20,000 crack dealers and gang-bangers, as well as the future sentences of new convicted crack dealers.

Judge Reggie Walton of the DC District Court told the commission, of which he is a member, "this panel has the ability to undo some of the injustices associated with crack sentencing over the last 20 years." You see, of the nearly 20,000 federal prisoners whose sentences would be reduced, 86 percent are black. Once again, we have judges and commissions that legislate from the bench or from non-elected committees, instead of interpreting the Constitution. But the judge has it wrong. This problem is not a black or white issue. It is about the law and the violence associated with a particular kind of drug.

The U.S. Justice Department contends that the new sentencing guidelines will open the prison doors for scores of dangerous felons and jam the courts. The Fraternal Order of the Police warned that felons who could be released were not "low-level dealers or first-time offenders." FOP President Chuck Canterbury told the hearing that 80 percent had previous convictions and 35 percent had used weapons in connection with their drug crimes. "Clearly, these inmates are far more likely to re-offend," he said. And re-offending will occur.

As a special agent in the early 1990’s I saw firsthand the violence and crime associated with crack cocaine. In fact, I was the case agent on one of the largest crack-cocaine indictments in the Federal District of Kansas history in which over twenty co-conspirators were arrested, charged and convicted in Federal court. A crack-cocaine ring that involved Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, and Leavenworth. And even went into smaller communities like Paola, Osawatomie, Atchison and Ottawa. The gangs’ leaders were part of the Black Gangster Disciples in Chicago. The ringleader received a 25-year mandatory minimum sentence. The rest received between 5 and 20 years sentences. Now these criminals will be released early and I can assure you they are bad guys, not just some crack addict as usually portrayed by the media.

A number of serious trends emerged in our nation’s communities in the mid-1980s as a result of the crack cocaine explosion. Between 1984 and 1994, the homicide rate for black males aged 14 to 17 more than doubled, and the homicide rate for black males aged 18 to 24 increased nearly as much. During this period, the black community also experienced an increase in fetal death rates, low birth-weight babies, weapons arrests, and the number of children in foster care. All of these problems were linked to the crack cocaine epidemic.

In the study “Measuring the Impact of Crack Cocaine”, underlying factors were researched that could account for the rise and fall of social ills within black and Hispanic communities. For over a 20-year period from 1980 to 2000 all the evidence suggests that, “the violence is closely tied to the fact that the suppliers of crack and the gangs controlling the market were killing each other because they could make huge profits. Suppliers were competing.” And they will be competing again within a year.

There will be a rise in violence in the coming years due to this liberal decision on crime. And you can thank Congress for this inaction. Drug crime recidivism rates averages 68% per year. If research and the empirical data holds true then we can expect nearly 14,000 convicted crack cocaine felons re-offending in our communities again. The numbers of offenders in this area being released total nearly 500. That is 340 potential new crack dealers in the Kansas City area.

The fact of the matter is that incarceration works. Violence went down after Federal crack-cocaine sentencing went into place. Taxpayers should be prepared. Crimes related to drugs and violence will go back up and offenders will be arrested for these crimes. But instead of already being in federal prison, the offenders will be housed in state prisons and local jails, which are already over-crowded. Because state and local jails are full even more criminals will be released early. Police officers who fight the fight everyday should get ready for an even bigger revolving door regarding crime. As a consequence, it will affect you in your pocketbook and your family’s safety.

Sources:
Measuring the Impact of Crack Cocaine, University of Chicago
U.S. Sentencing Commission
U.S. Department of Justice, Recidivism of Prisoners