Title: Research Finds Racial Disparities In Prison Sentences : NPR
Headings: Research Finds Racial Disparities In Prison Sentences
Law
Research Finds Racial Disparities In Prison Sentences

Content: And so what we have to think about is ways to use the criminal process in a way that brings about equal justice under the law. SIMON: To your mind, instead of sentencing people to prison for certain drug crimes - possession, I would imagine - greatly enlarge the number of treatment programs available and maybe residential facilities that aren't exactly prisons. BUTLER: People ask, well, what would the African-American community look like if drug offenders weren't sentenced to prison for a long time? And the answer is, well, look at the white community to figure out what that would look like. Because we know that for drug crimes, African-Americans are selectively prosecuted and selectively incarcerated. I think when it comes to going to jail, what's good enough for white folks is good enough for African-Americans. SIMON: Paul Butler - he's the Albert Brick Professor of Law at Georgetown University and author of "Chokehold: