Drug sentencing and the war on drugs

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Guest:  Eric Sterling

In what could be a significant shift in America’s war of drugs, Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Monday a plan to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes. The policy change was intended to help reduce over-crowding in federal prisons, save money and reform the harsh laws which discriminate against African-American and Hispanic men when it comes to incarceration. In this hour of Radio Times we’ll get reaction to Holder’s announcement and look at the history, evolution and effectiveness of the nation’s  drug laws and policies. Our guest is ERIC STERLING, president of the non-profit Criminal Justice Policy Foundation in Silver Spring, MD, was counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, principally responsible for anti-drug legislation, from 1979 to 1989.

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