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

RESEARCH DESIGN AND ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
This study updates prior research on racial disproportionality in Seattle drug
delivery arrests. The goals of this study are to (a) ascertain whether the racial
composition of Seattle narcotics delivery arrestees has changed since 1999–2001,
when over 64 percent of those purposefully arrested for delivering serious illegal
drugs were black; (b) compare the magnitude of black over-representation in
Seattle drug arrests with that found in comparable cities; (c) assess the extent to
which any observed over-representation of blacks among Seattle drug arrestees
is a function of differences in rates of offending; (d) identify other potential
causes of this disparity; and (e) assess the extent to which any policies or
practices that contribute to racial disparity in drug arrests are likely the product
of race-neutral policy considerations. Both updated data sources and, where
appropriate, newly available or supplemental data sources are utilized in the
analysis. 29
Determining whether racial differences in drug law offending explain the overrepresentation
of a particular racial group (in this case, blacks) among arrestees
requires comparing the racial composition of those arrested for delivery of
serious drugs with the racial composition of those delivering these same
substances. Because of the illicit nature of the activity in question and the
difficulty of gaining access to all sites where the activity occurs, it is not possible
to observe a representative sample of all serious drug transactions in Seattle. This
does not mean, however, that the nature of each drug market and the
demographic profile of those who deliver serious drugs in Seattle cannot be
reliably assessed.
When estimating the characteristics of phenomena the universe of which cannot
be directly observed, social scientists draw upon multiple data sources in order
to bolster confidence in their findings. Often referred to as “triangulation,”
drawing upon multiple data sources and methodologies allows researchers to
cross-check the findings from each data source. When the results of diverse data
29
In a few instances, data sources utilized in previous analyses are no longer available. These
include the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring survey data, which provided data about drug use
among those arrested for various crimes, and Drug Abuse Warning Network Data, which
record instances in which patients admitted to hospital emergency rooms report having
recently used illicit drugs.
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