Pubdate: Thu, 14 Jun 2001
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2001 The New York Times Company
Contact:  http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Author: Jason Ziedenberg
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1039/a10.html

IMPRISONED IN AMERICA

To the Editor:

Re "U.S. Figures Show Prison Population Is Now Stabilizing" (front 
page, June 9): Last year's 1.5 percent imprisonment growth comes 
after our most punishing decade in history. The enormous growth in 
incarceration in the 1990's came almost exclusively at the expense of 
minorities, most of whom were imprisoned for nonviolent or drug 
offenses. Seven in 10 inmates added to our prison roles since 1985 
were minorities, an astonishing figure when you realize that crime 
was falling during the 1990's.

President Bush has spoken about wanting to reach out to minority 
communities after an election in which he did so poorly among 
African-American voters. A good place to start would be by diverting 
people convicted of nonviolent or drug offenses from prison and into 
treatment and restitution programs.

JASON ZIEDENBERG
Washington, June 10, 2001
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