RACE AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF DRUG DELIVERY LAWS IN ...

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F<strong>IN</strong>D<strong>IN</strong>G 4 The focus on crack cocaine is not a function of race-neutral policy considerations. • Powder cocaine and ecstasy are the most widely used serious drugs in Seattle. • More Seattle residents are admitted to public drug treatment programs for heroin abuse than for crack cocaine abuse. Heroin users also report making more frequent purchases than crack cocaine users. The frequency with which crack cocaine is exchanged thus does not explain the over-representation of crack cocaine among Seattle drug arrestees. • The focus on crack cocaine is not a function of public health considerations. Although crack cocaine use poses health risks, other serious drugs, especially heroin and other opiates, are more likely to be associated with drug-related mortality and infectious disease. • The focus on crack cocaine is not a function of public safety risks. Among Seattle serious drug arrestees, those involved with crack cocaine were least likely to have a dangerous weapon in their possession at the time of their arrest. • The focus on crack is not a consequence of civilian complaints about that particular substance: there is little geographic correspondence between complaints and delivery arrests, and most complainants do not identify the drug involved. Moreover, most civilian complaints about drug activity do not result in arrest, and most arrests do not involve a civilian complainant. 3
CONCLUSIONS • The degree to which blacks are over-represented among drug arrestees in Seattle continues to be large relative to other mid-sized cities. • Black over-representation in Seattle drug delivery arrests is primarily a function of the focus on crack cocaine. • The focus on crack cocaine does not appear to be attributable to the frequency with which crack cocaine is exchanged, civilian complaints, public health or public safety considerations. • Although colorblind on its face, the focus on crack cocaine does not appear to be a function of race-neutral considerations and continues to produce an unusually high degree of racial disparity in Seattle drug arrests. 4
Page 1 and 2: RACE AND DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT IN SE
Page 3 and 4: This report was commissioned as par
Page 5 and 6: LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES PAGE TAB
Page 7 and 8: Figure 9. Purposeful Seattle Drug D
Page 10 and 11: SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS FINDING 1 T
Page 14 and 15: INTRODUCTION Less than 5 percent of
Page 16 and 17: RACIAL DISPARITIES IN SEATTLE DRUG
Page 18 and 19: Table 1. Black and White Drug Arres
Page 20 and 21: esearchers found that rates of drug
Page 22 and 23: RESEARCH DESIGN AND ORGANIZATION OF
Page 24: serious drugs in Seattle are white.
Page 27 and 28: users: “Persons at almost all lev
Page 29 and 30: as the goal is to provide samples o
Page 31 and 32: percent of white Seattle residents,
Page 33 and 34: acial/ethnic groups. These data ind
Page 35 and 36: When approaching clients, surveyors
Page 37 and 38: youth. However, these surveys likel
Page 39 and 40: 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
Page 41 and 42: or partially publicly-funded treatm
Page 43 and 44: Primary Drug of Abuse Cocaine (all
Page 45 and 46: system at the time of their death w
Page 47 and 48: did not transfer drugs to the buyer
Page 49 and 50: Insofar as many drug users knowingl
Page 51 and 52: the person who provided these subst
Page 53 and 54: Table 7. Racial and Ethnic Composit
Page 55 and 56: Table 8. Summary of Data Pertaining
Page 57 and 58: ut only 89 for methamphetamine, ecs
Page 59 and 60: time. 87 As noted previously, this
Page 61 and 62: Drug delivery arrests continue to b
Page 63 and 64:
In sum, many of the arrest patterns
Page 65 and 66:
Table 10. Racial Disparity in Drug
Page 68 and 69:
PART III: EXPLAINING RACIAL DISPARI
Page 70 and 71:
that a higher percentage of whites
Page 72 and 73:
After clients had completed their s
Page 74 and 75:
Table 13. Racial and Ethnic Composi
Page 76 and 77:
whites engaging in the same behavio
Page 78 and 79:
Analysis of the patterns found in t
Page 80 and 81:
Table 16. Statistical Significance
Page 82 and 83:
In sum, the evidence shows that rac
Page 84 and 85:
those delivering drugs downtown wer
Page 86 and 87:
for delivering a serious drug in Se
Page 88 and 89:
to danger, instantaneous addiction
Page 90 and 91:
9.6 percent primarily abused other
Page 92 and 93:
percent of those delivering drugs d
Page 94 and 95:
officers made a drug arrest, issued
Page 96 and 97:
Figure 18. Geographic Distribution
Page 98 and 99:
Figure 20. Geographic Distribution
Page 100 and 101:
As these maps illustrate, civilian
Page 102 and 103:
and infant health by crack cocaine
Page 104 and 105:
Although the crack trade has been a
Page 106:
Weapons were more likely to be seiz
Page 109 and 110:
supports an alternative explanation
Page 111 and 112:
Buckman, Charles, and John Lamberth
Page 113 and 114:
Hagedorn, John M. 1994. “Homeboys
Page 115 and 116:
Murphy, Sheigla and Dan Waldorf. 19
Page 117 and 118:
Ritter, Alison. 2005. A Review of A
Page 119 and 120:
United Nations International Drug C
Page 121 and 122:
APPENDIX B: UNRELIABLE 9-1-1 CALL E
Page 123 and 124:
Complaint: Arrival: Officer Update:
Page 126:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Katherine Beckett
Page 130:
THE DEFENDER ASSOCIATION
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