аЯрЁБс>ўџ 9;ўџџџ8џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅСM №ПЏ+bjbjт=т= "6€W€WЏ'џџџџџџl.......BъъъъўBЕ8:XXXXXvTЪ,4666666$э  ќZ.іXXііZт..XXoттті„.X.X4ті4тRт4..4X аYХ<ЦЫBЈъz h44…0Е4 т 4тBB....йRichmond's Lengthy Prison Terms: What Is Long-Term Impact? Drug sentencing: It's a balancing act between state versus federal guidelines By FRANK GREEN | TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Published: June 21, 2010 Among the weapons brought to bear against Richmond's record wave of violence in the 1990s were stiff federal laws targeting drug dealers and firearms violators. The bloodshed has subsided since 1994, when the city had 161 slayings and the highest per-capita homicide rate in the country. Last year's toll of 39 did not even lead the state. Authorities say the decade-and-a-half effort has paid off. But according to recent figures from the U.S. Sentencing Commission and other studies, it has also left the Richmond area as a national leader in both federal crack cocaine and firearm prosecutions that lead to long prison sentences. In the 15 months that began Jan. 1, 2009, 186 drug offenders -- most crack dealers and many with accompanying firearm convictions -- were sentenced in U.S. District Court in Richmond to a combined 2,000 years in prison plus one life sentence. Federal officials began to focus on drugs and guns because in 1997, for example: •85 percent of Richmond's homicides were committed with firearms; •more than 40 percent were drug-related; and •more than 60 percent involved offenders with prior criminal records. "There's no doubt to us that the city is fundamentally a safer place than it was a dozen years ago," said Neil H. MacBride, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District. He points out that since 1994, the long-term homicide trend here is down. Chris Bullard, a deputy Richmond commonwealth's attorney, agrees. He concedes that while there is a strong correlation between targeting drugs and firearms and the city's dramatically lower murder rate, it cannot be empirically proven. Nevertheless, Bullard said, "has it paid dividends? Yes." Learned Barry, Richmond's deputy commonwealth's attorney in charge of homicide prosecutions, said, "What has happened, especially with the help of the feds, is we are catching these guys and they're staying off the streets much longer than they did 10 years ago. "When they identify these violent drug dealers and target them -- they're gone, we don't see them again for a long time," he said. The degree to which drug and firearms convictions reduce violence is unclear, many criminologists say. Homicides dropped in Richmond, but they also did in some other cities where tough laws were used to a lesser extent. And while taking drug dealers off the streets improves the quality of life in a community, taking large numbers of young men out of the community can harm it.  HYPERLINK "http://www2.timesdispatch.com/topics/types/person/tags/todd-r-clear/" \o "Topic - Todd R. Clear" Todd R. Clear,  HYPERLINK "http://www2.timesdispatch.com/topics/types/person/tags/dean/" \o "Topic - Dean" dean of the school of criminal justice at Rutgers University, has studied the impact on communities where young men churn in and out of jails and prisons. Removing killers and rapists has a high public safety payoff, but the benefits diminish as people are removed for lesser crimes, he said. "There all these sort of ripple effects [so] that even if you did get an immediate, short-term impact on crime, you also have long-term, generational, infrastructural kinds of effects on community life that are extremely troubling," Clear said. Those effects include more single-parent households and the loss of protection, money and child care for mothers. Also, children with a parent or parents in prison are more likely to wind up there themselves, he said. Then there's also the cost of imprisonment -- $51 million for just 15 month's worth of federal drug-related prosecutions from federal court in Richmond. "It just boggles my mind. What would happen if you had that money available for other things. If you told the community, 'Look, we've got $51 million . . . is this what you want to use it for? My guess is they would have other priorities," Clear said. The U.S. Sentencing Commission long has urged easing the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine enacted in 1986, citing what it says is a large number of low-level offenders sentenced to long prison terms and its disproportionate impact on blacks. Nationally, authorities say two-thirds of crack users are white or Hispanic, but more than 80 percent of crack violators are black. It was violence in black communities such as Richmond's that in part led to the Anti Drug Abuse Act of 1986. Under the act, possession of 5 or more grams of crack -- the weight of a nickel -- calls for a minimum sentence of five years, and 50 or more grams gets 10 years. For powder cocaine the minimum sentences are only triggered by 100 times the amount. In 2007, the commission amended the crack guidelines, permitting sentence reductions for 19,500 crack offenders convicted since 1992. The Eastern District of Virginia led all districts in the country with 1,499 eligible offenders, or 7.2 percent of the national total. "That's because crack makes up such a large amount of the drug-trafficking docket in the Eastern District of Virginia, particularly in Richmond," said Michael Nachmanoff of Alexandria,  HYPERLINK "http://www2.timesdispatch.com/topics/types/position/tags/chief-public-defender/" \o "Topic - Chief Public Defender" the chief public defender for the district. According to figures from the U.S. Attorney's office, of the 186 drug cases that led to prison time in the Richmond division last year and the first three months of this year, at least 113 were for crack and 36 for powder cocaine. The average sentence for crack violators was just under 11 years; 18 of them were sentenced to more than 20 years and one to life. Nachmanoff, like Clear, believes, "the notion that the only way to solve problems . . . we see in the city of Richmond and other urban centers is by locking up generations of young African-Americans for 10, 15, 20 years, I think was really false." Marc Mauer, executive director of The Sentencing Project, which advocates for prison alternatives when appropriate, said the likelihood has never been stronger that Congress will listen to the commission and other critics and ease the 1986 act. The U.S. Senate has passed a bill lowering the 100-to-1 disparity to 18 to 1. It would change the trigger for a five-year minimum sentence from 5 grams to 28 and the 10-year minimum from 50 to 280 grams. Nachmanoff said, "I believe that without any close second, the greatest impact of that bill would be in Richmond, Virginia, because there are so many crack cases they bring [involving] greater than 5 grams but still tiny amounts of crack --6-gram cases, 8-gram cases." He questions whether federal prosecutors will bring such cases if the threshold for a mandatory minimum sentence is raised from 5 to 28 grams. Generally, Virginia guideline sentences for drug offenses are significantly lower than federal ones. As a result, Richmond police work closely with federal authorities and sometimes steer troublemakers into federal court where they can be locked up for longer periods. Capt. Roger Russell, head of the Richmond police department's narcotics unit, said, "We look at what court is going to offer the best solution to the problem." "The working relationship that we have, whether it be with our commonwealth attorney's office or with our federal partners, has really had a significant impact on violent crime in this city," Russell said. Bullard said that some critics of drug sentencing have a simplistic view of the situation that does not take into account all the facts. "Usually there's more to the story than, 'Hey, a guy with no record is given five years for 5 grams of crack,'" Bullard said. There are violent criminals who have little or no record, he said. Because state sentences are lower than federal ones, Bullard said his office has been innovative. Among other things, city prosecutors can bring evidence of prior crimes, even in cases where there has not been a conviction, to the court's attention prior to sentencing. "Our average sentence increased by over 50 percent during 2008 and that gain was largely maintained in 2009," Bullard said. "Again, our sentences are not nearly what the federal sentences are, but that's still a significant increase and it comes from that philosophy of trying to make sure violent drug dealers are taken off the street for longer periods of time," Bullard said. City prosecutors last year won state convictions for felony drug distribution or possession with intent to distribute against almost 400 people -- a 10-year high. The sentences added up to 850 years. City felony drug-possession cases -- as opposed to drug-distribution cases -- fell by more than 31 percent last year, to 463, from 2008 when an eight-year high was reached. New programs also are being tried as a way to eliminate open-air drug markets. Bullard said drug activities have horrid impacts on neighborhoods. He said there may be low-level individuals hit with a heavy minimum crack sentence in federal court. But for the most part, he said state and federal authorities do not have the time, resources or prison space to target low-level offenders for long terms behind bars. Unlike federal law, Virginia law makes no distinction between crack or powder cocaine sentences. Asked if the federal crack versus powder sentencing disparities were justified, MacBride, the U.S. attorney, said Congress gives federal prosecutors the tools and it is up to them to use them the most effective way possible. "The goal is to have the maximum impact possible on the general welfare of the community and to reduce rates of violent crime and remove the most dangerous offenders from off the streets," he said. MacBride said his office often alerts courts what the guideline range in a crack case would be if the drug involved was powder cocaine and what prosecutors believe would be an appropriate sentence in a particular case. 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