MANDATORY SENTENCES PROVIDE LITTLE DETERRENCE

Mandatory minimum prison sentences for crack cocaine ("Reducing the
disparity," March 15) have done little other than give the land of the
free the highest incarceration rate in the world. The deterrent value
of "zero tolerance" is grossly overrated. During the crack epidemic of
the 1980s, New York City chose the zero-tolerance approach, opting to
arrest and prosecute as many offenders as possible. Meanwhile,
Washington Mayor Marion Barry was smoking crack and America's capital
had the highest per-capita murder rate in the country. Yet crack use
declined in both cities simultaneously. The decline was not due to a
slick anti-drug advertising campaign or the passage of mandatory
minimum sentencing laws. Simply put, the younger generation saw
firsthand what crack was doing to their older siblings and decided for
themselves that crack was bad news. This is not to say nothing can be
done about hard drugs like crack or methamphetamine, the latest
headline grabber. Access to substance abuse treatment is critical.
Diverting resources away from prisons and into cost-effective
treatment would save both tax dollars and lives.

ROBERT SHARPE

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington