Pubdate: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 Source: Inquirer (PA) Copyright: 2001 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc Contact: http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/home/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340 Author: Glenda Cooper, Washington Post DRUG OFFENDERS ARE SERVING LONGER SENTENCES, REPORT SAYS WASHINGTON - Drug offenders spend a year more in prison on average than they did 15 years ago, and drug offenses now make up about one- third of federal criminal cases - both the result of tougher drug sentencing, according to new figures from the Department of Justice Bureau of Statistics. More than 38,200 suspects were referred to federal prosecutors in 1999 for alleged drug offenses, up from 11,854 in 1984. About 84 percent of these suspects were subsequently charged in a U.S. court, according to the figures released yesterday. But criminal-justice experts immediately questioned the agency's conclusions, saying that, according to Sentencing Commission figures, sentences had fallen during the 1990s. Others questioned whether more punitive prison terms would in reality deter drug crime if prevention and treatment did not also become priorities. Changes in federal statutes mean that from 1984 to 1999, prison terms imposed on drug offenders have increased from 62 months to 74 months on average. Almost 90 percent of drug defendants were convicted, and the vast majority were convicted of drug trafficking. Fewer than one in 20 were convicted of simple possession of drugs. Of 38,288 suspects referred to federal prosecutors for alleged drug offenses during 1999, 31 percent were involved with marijuana, 28 percent cocaine powder, 15 percent crack cocaine, and 15 percent methamphetamine. The rest were involved with opiates and other drugs. Just over half were younger than 30, and most were importers, manufacturers, and large-scale dealers. Racial differences were stark: 86 percent of crack-cocaine offenders were black, while 72 percent of methamphetamine offenders were white. Cocaine was spread through all ethnic groups. During 1999, the longest prison terms were imposed on drug offenders involved with crack (114 months), drug offenders who possessed firearms (156 months), and those with extensive records (125 months). Twenty-eight percent of defendants received reduced sentences after providing substantial assistance to prosecutors. Attorney General John Ashcroft welcomed the findings. "This report shows that tougher federal drug laws are making a real difference in clearing major drug offenders from our streets," he said. "Federal law enforcement is targeted effectively at convicting major drug traffickers and punishing them with longer lockups in prison." But law professors questioned the Bureau of Statistics' conclusions. They said figures from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts revealed that since 1991-92 the average drug sentence had declined by 22 percent - or nearly two years - per defendant, and that preliminary figures from the Sentencing Commission showed the decline continuing throughout fiscal year 2000. "It's clear to me that more federal judges and prosecutors have voted with their feet on sentence length," said Frank O. Bowman 3d, associate law professor at the Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis and coauthor of Quiet Rebellion? Explaining Nearly a Decade of Declining Federal Drug Sentences. "They are saying as a group that they don't think drug sentences need to be as long as they are to accomplish their aim." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens