Question

Select the correct answer from each drop-down menu.

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
powder cocaine, which disproportionately affected
because powder cocaine was typically
the same as for 500 grams
of
consumed by

Answer 1

The War on Drugs led to mandatory minimum sentencing laws that disproportionately affected African American and Hispanic communities due to a sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, leading to mass incarceration and continued social and economic challenges for these groups.

Step-by-step explanation:

During the War on Drugs, mandatory minimum sentencing laws had a disproportionate effect on marginalized groups. The mandatory minimum sentencing law stipulated far harsher punishments for possession of crack cocaine compared to powder cocaine. Specifically, the law mandated that being caught with five grams of crack cocaine resulted in the same minimum sentence as 500 grams of powder cocaine. This 100 to 1 sentencing disparity severely affected African American and Hispanic communities, as crack cocaine was cheaper and more prevalent in lower-income, urban communities that were predominantly composed of these ethnicities, while powder cocaine was often associated with wealthier, white users. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and subsequent legislation led to mass incarceration among these marginalized groups, exacerbating issues of poverty and reduced social mobility.

It wasn't until the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act that the disparity in sentencing was reduced from 100 to 1 to 18 to 1, but the impact of the previous laws continued to be felt across affected communities.