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30 Crim. Just. 1 (2015-2016)

handle is hein.journals/cjust30 and id is 1 raw text is: .,t, \. .>.e. . .5 . . .. . . . . . . . . . N. .. . . . BY .Y T I .UA .ORR ...... s an Air Force dependent growing ip in Spain and other exotic places, my playmates were many races and cultures. They spoke beauti- ful languages and carried intriguing tales, legends, and beliefs. Our babysitter's warning that we stay clear of gypsies, because they would snatch us away from home, only drew us to the music, colorful dress, and joyous abandon that these nomads' children appeared to enjoy. As I got older, watching television news about the civil rights struggles, racial violence, and the Vietnam War made me feel shock and horror. And smack in the middle of taking these in, I was amazed at the wonder of the lunar landing. We are a nation of contrasts. Wonderful scientific and life-say- ing medical advancements travel alongside ignorance and hatred, ..' .... * Some of our most revered political figures will destroy their reputa- tions in a flash with a display of ignorance or hubris. And our lead- ers also come to understand, and publicly accept, what was popular to reject or ostracize just months earlier. I cannot help but believe that we will soon also come to our senses reearding the enormous racial inequalities that have been accepted for far too long in our crimi- nal justice system. It has taken embarrassingly too long to begin to correct the crack/powder cocaine sentenc- ing inequity brought on by ignorant beliefs. The early court opinions upholding these laws recalled for me the tortured legal logic of Plessy v Ferguson, defend- ing yesterday's racial segregation. Dweling on justifications and defensive explanations for our shameful unequal imprisonment of black and brown people is much the same. It is not productive or honest. The suggestion that there is more crime or drug abuse in poor communities is just not true. (See Suniya S. Luthar, The Problem with Rich Kids, PsYciHoL. CYNH\A R .U AR is a 2014--2015 chair ofthe Criminal Justice Section and a cririnal definse lawver with Goldstein, Goldstein & Hilley in San Antonio, Texas, where her practice focuses on white-col!ar crime. In addition, she is active in criminal justice reform. C' it TODAY, Nov. 5, 2013 (revealing greater drug, theft, and property crimes among affluent youth).) When my dad retired from the Air Force, the nice community where I lived had just as much petty theft by kids seeking money for drugs as in the part of town where lower-income kids lived. Kids got in fights, used drugs, and drove too fast just as much in Country Club Estates as they did in public housing. They just were dealt with differently. Some of my public school class- mates went to military schools and nature camps for rehab while others were hobbled for life after stints in juvenile custody and then jail. Merely hypothesizing about why this happens is a waste of time. Ve need to identify these prob- lems and go about solving them. A U S CF I'' good example of what works is the ABA Racial Justice Improvement ' V Project. In diverse locations such as Brooklyn and New Orleans, Madison and St. Louis, the proj- ect invites stakeholders to invest in correcting racial inequities in crim- inal justice. A very small investment of monies from the ABA and grants (from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, and US Department of Jus- tice), with the expertise and sw-eat equity of ABA Criminal Justice Section and Individual Rights and Responsibilities Section members have accomplished great things: equal use of diversion programs, increased use of parole and probation, better reentry programs, decriminalization of minor wrongs, and myriad other reforms. Communities that are invested in solutions, not explanations or excuses, achieve good results. In communities accepted for our project's assistance, law enforcement, prosecutors, defenders, the courts, and community activists engaged in these solutions. They identified and established the problems, backed their beliefs with empirical data, and set about solv- ing inequities through trust and collaboration. Not all communities made the cut. It took an investment by all stakeholders in problem solving. Sadly, communities engrossed in recriminations were left behind. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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