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How did minimum sentencing laws for drugs disproportionately affect marginalized groups?
During the War on Drugs, the mandatory minimum sentencing law for five grams of crack cocaine was the same as for 500 grams of powder
cocaine, which disproportionately affected
because powder cocaine was typically consumed by
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Answer :

GinnyAnswer

Final answer:

Mandatory minimum drug sentencing disparities significantly impacted marginalized groups through racially biased penalties, leading to high incarceration rates among Black and Hispanic individuals.


Explanation:

Mandatory minimum sentencing laws for drugs disproportionately affected marginalized groups by creating stark disparities in penalties between crack cocaine, more commonly found in poorer communities, and powder cocaine, associated with wealthier users:

  1. The penalty for possessing 50 grams of crack was equivalent to 5,000 grams of powder cocaine, resulting in a 1 to 100 sentencing disparity.
  2. This disparity highlighted racial and economic biases in the criminal justice system and led to high incarceration rates among Black and Hispanic individuals.
  3. President Obama's Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 reduced the disparity to 1 to 18, aiming to address the racial injustices perpetuated by these laws.

Learn more about Mandatory minimum drug sentencing disparities here:

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