 |
Criminal defense bar calls for end to War
on Drugs
National Association of Criminal
Defense Lawyers Board passes unanimous resolution
America has lost the war on
drugs and should surrender to pleas for legalization and the
release of those in jail for drug offenses, says the nation's
largest association of defense attorneys.
A resolution passed unanimously by over 50 officers who lead
the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)
in early November said the government's crusade to punish drug
crimes is racist, unjust and unwinnable and therefore should
cease.
Citing the government's own studies, the group said the criminal
justice system has unfairly targeted blacks and other minorities
who account for a disproportionate number of those arrested and
locked up for nonviolent drug offenses.
"The 'war on drugs' is elitist, racist, hypocritical, and
stupid," said National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
President Edward Mallett NACDL released the final version of
the resolution to the public on November 13th, 2000. NACDL board
member Fred Leatherman of Seattle, who drafted the resolution,
was gratified by the unanimous vote. "As a nation, we've
stood by and watched this 'war on drugs' lock up a whole generation
of young African-Americans. All the evidence says it's a sham
and a failure. And everybody else who makes money from it thinks
we should escalate the war. We do not agree," he said.
"Both of our presidential candidates committed 'youthful
indiscretions' in their day. Would they, or we, be better off
if they had been sent to prison, like so many blacks and Latinos
are these days?" asked Mallett, a Houston criminal defense
lawyer.
The NACDL resolution cites numerous statistical examples of racial
injustice in the war on drugs. "The overwhelming win of
the mandatory treatment law in California, which came largely
because of Arizona's success, shows that the public knows it's
time to start looking for better solutions," said Leatherman.
NACDL is the preeminent organization
in the United States advancing the mission of the nation's criminal
defense lawyers to ensure justice and due process for persons
accused of crime or other misconduct. A professional bar association
founded in 1958, NACDL's more than 10,000 direct members-and
80 state and local affiliate organizations with another 28,000
members-include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders,
active U.S. military defense counsel, law professors and judges
committed to preserving fairness within America's criminal justice
system.
National Association
of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)
1025 Connecticut Ave. NW, Ste. 901, Washington DC 20036
www.criminaljustice.org / www.nacdl.org
(202) 872-8600 / FAX(202) 872-8690 / assist@nacdl.com
|