Source: Birmingham PostHerald Author: Steve Joynt / Scripps Howard News Service C Contact: Sun, 30 Nov 1997 Website: http://detnews.com/ Feedback: http://data.detnews.com:8081/feedback/index.hbs PRISON SNETENCINGS REVEAL RACIAL DISPARITIES BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Blacks and whites charged with drug crimes in Alabama have an equal chance of being convicted, statistics show. But the similarity in treatment by the justice system ends there. Blacks convicted of drug crimes are nearly twice as likely to receive jail time as whites, and nearly 21/2 times as likely to receive prison terms of one year or more, according to a Birmingham PostHerald analysis of drug convictions from 1990 through mid1997. The analysis is based on information provided by the Administrative Office of Courts. Critics cite several reasons for the disparity in the sentencing of blacks and whites: * The low number of black judges and prosecutors in state courts. As of late 1996, of 96 district judges statewide, six were black; of 131 circuit judges, five were black. The inability of many black defendants to afford topnotch lawyers. Sentencing enhancements, which add years to the sentences of convicted drug dealers. The study further showed that within every drug category, from misdemeanor marijuana possession to felony cocaine trafficking, blacks stand a greater chance of jail time than do whites. Examples: Sixtyfour percent of blacks convicted of cocaine possession received prison time, compared to 48 percent of whites. On marijuana possession, 35 percent of the convicted blacks received prison time, compared to 31 percent of whites. Jefferson County Chief Deputy District Attorney Roger Brown said he believed any racial difference in sentencing probably was a result of blacks having more serious criminal histories than whites. "Without knowing the histories, those numbers are absolutely meaningless," he said. "I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty though: Race doesn't have a damn thing to do with it." Copyright 1997, The Detroit News