The Iowa quarter, printed in the latter part of 2004, is based upon a Grant Wood painting depicting a group of students and their teacher planting a tree outside of a county school.\u00a0 The statement on the coin says, \u201cFoundation In Education.\u201d\u00a0 For many decades, Iowa was noted for its first-in-the-nation education status.\u00a0 Likewise, Iowa has been a consistent leader in civil rights.<\/p>\n
The first written opinion handed down by the Iowa Supreme Court was In Re: Ralph<\/em>, decided in 1839, before Iowa was officially a state.\u00a0 In Re: Ralph<\/em> held that “no man in this territory can be reduced to slavery.”\u00a0A slave owner from Missouri sent bounty hunters to Iowa to capture Ralph and bring him back to Missouri because Ralph defaulted on a loan to the slave owner, which was overdue.\u00a0 The loan was to purchase Ralph\u2019s freedom.<\/p>\n The U.S. Supreme Court faced a similar question 18 years later when it decided the infamous Dred Scott<\/em> (1857) case. However, unlike the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling in Ralph,<\/em> the U.S. Supreme Court decision maintained the rights of the slave holder and ordered the slave returned. The issue of slavery would not be settled until the Civil War.<\/p>\n In 1868, the Iowa Supreme Court decided the landmark Clark v. The Board of Directors<\/em>. The case involved a 12-year-old girl who had been denied admission to her neighborhood school because of her race. The court held that segregated schools were inherently unequal when it stated that “the law makes no distinction as to the right of children \u2026 to attend the common schools.” To do otherwise, the court held, would violate the spirit of our laws and perpetuate racial strife. It took 85 years for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule against segregated schools– which it did in Brown v. Board of Education<\/em> (1954).<\/p>\n In 1873, the court heard Coger v. The North Western Union Packet Co.<\/em> This case centered on a woman who, because of her African descent, was forcibly removed from the dining car of the steamboat on which she was traveling. The woman had an unrestricted meal ticket. The Iowa Supreme Court held that the woman was entitled to the same rights and privileges as white passengers. The same conclusion was not reached by the U.S. Supreme Court until Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States<\/em> (1964), a case that upheld the 1964 Civil Rights Act.<\/p>\n Iowa Supreme Court website:\u00a0 https:\/\/www.iowacourts.gov\/for-the-public\/iowa-courts-history\/civil-rights<\/a><\/p>\n Iowa was also first in the nation when Arabella A. Mansfield was the first woman anywhere in the United States admitted to practice law.<\/p>\n Iowa has often been the first in the nation to accomplish civil rights issues, long before the federal government or other states.\u00a0 Because of that fact, it\u2019s shameful to say that Iowa once led the nation in an area of civil rights that is not flattering.\u00a0 The Sentencing Project<\/a>, an internationally known nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, had concluded in a 2007 report<\/a> by Marc Mauer and Ryan S. King, that Iowa placed first among all states exhibiting \u201csubstantial variation in the ratio of black-to-white incarceration, ranging from a high of 13.6-to-1 in Iowa to a low of 1.9-to-1 in Hawaii\u201d.<\/p>\n # # #<\/p>\n Part of the solution; not the problem<\/u><\/p>\n This statistic bothered State Representative Wayne Ford<\/a> (D-Des Moines), and he set out to do something about it. \u00a0Ford visited The Sentencing Project<\/em> to learn more about its research and what he, as a legislator, could do about it.\u00a0 Collaborating minds came up with a possible solution.\u00a0 Minority impact statements, modeled after environmental impact statements and correctional impact statements, could serve as a warning to legislators that they might be enacting legislation that could increase the number of minorities incarcerated in Iowa\u2019s correctional facilities.<\/p>\n In 2008, Ford, authored House File 2227<\/a>.\u00a0 Ford recruited Rep. Kurt Swaim<\/a> (D-Bloomfield), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Mark Smith<\/a> (D-Marshalltown), the chair of the House Human Resources Committee, to assist him in working on a bill \u201crequiring a minority impact statement.\u201d\u00a0 The bill passed out of the Committee and was renumbered as House File 2393<\/a>. The final bill consisted of language requiring impact statements attached to legislation affecting minorities whenever a law \u201ccreates a public offense, significantly changes an existing public offense or the penalty for an existing offense, or changes existing sentencing, parole, or probation procedures.\u201d\u00a0 The bill passed unanimously in the Iowa House of Representatives.<\/p>\n The bill was sent to the Iowa Senate, vetted through the Senate Human Resources Committee, and was placed on the floor for debate.\u00a0 It passed the Iowa Senate with only two nay votes (Sen. Brad Zaun<\/a> (R-Urbandale) and Jerry Behn<\/a> (R-Boone)).<\/p>\n Governor Chet Culver (D) signed the bill, HF 2393<\/a>, into law on April 17, 2008, at the inner-city YMCA, making Iowa the first state in the union to implement an historic statute requiring a minority impact statement on a criminal justice bill before a measure can be debated on the floor of either chamber.\u00a0 Once again, Iowa became first in the nation on a civil rights matter.<\/p>\n Since 2008, Connecticut, Oregon and New Jersey<\/a> have implemented similar legislation.\u00a0 In fact, in one of his final acts as governor, \u201cChris Christie signed a law requiring justice reform proposals to be accompanied by racial and ethnic impact statements<\/a>. Passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, the bill mandates such statements for legislative and administrative rule changes for adult and juvenile criminal justice practices\u201d.<\/p>\n A report issued by The Sentencing Project in June 2016 found that New Jersey [had] the largest gap between black and white incarceration rates of any state in the country. While New Jersey [had] been a national leader in reducing its prison population generally, the report found that black residents are still incarcerated at 12 times the rate of white residents. Additionally, the report highlighted that, while New Jersey\u2019s overall population is less than 15 percent black, its prison population is more than 60 percent black.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.njsendems.org\/rice-turner-bill-providing-ethnic-and-minority-impacts-of-legislation-now-law\/<\/a><\/p>\n Compare New Jersey\u2019s 12:1 ratio with the 13:1 ratio Iowa had nine years earlier.\u00a0 Iowa no longer has the widest gap between white and black prisoners, but it still remains high.\u00a0 Minority impact statements are intended to lower that gap further.<\/p>\n Minnesota and Florida<\/a> have added procedures, not necessarily through the legislative process, but by rule or commission, that address a process for considering racial impact statements.<\/p>\n Several other states have introduced legislation<\/a> to require racial impact statements.\u00a0 Some of those states include:\u00a0 Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.\u00a0 This year, Arizona and Maryland have joined the ranks of introducing legislation.\u00a0 And the movement continues.<\/p>\n A minority impact statement is a significant portion of a fiscal note<\/a> prepared by the Fiscal Division of the nonpartisan Iowa Legislative Services Agency<\/a>.\u00a0 In cooperation with the Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning<\/a> of the Department of Human Rights<\/a>, the Fiscal Division<\/a> analyzes legislation to determine if the legislation will have any impact on minorities (negative or positive).<\/p>\n Because Iowa has a staggering racial disparity in incarceration rates (as mentioned previously, a 2007 report from the Sentencing Project<\/em> rates Iowa as the state with the \u201chighest racial disparity in incarceration\u201d), it is important for legislators to take the time to look at these fiscal notes.\u00a0 Placing an emphasis on the minority impact statements, legislators should examine whether there might be a better method of achieving the same goals while reducing the imbalance of disproportionate incarceration.<\/p>\n # # #<\/p>\n Is anybody listening?<\/u><\/p>\n In 2015, Wayne called me to ask if anyone was paying any attention to minority impact statements.\u00a0 The short answer:\u00a0 No.<\/p>\n Stephanie Fawkes-Lee and I, Fawkes-Lee & Ryan<\/a>, visited with Rep. Chip Baltimore<\/a> (R-Boone), the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee<\/a>.\u00a0 These pre-session meetings with committee chairs are designed to discuss particular legislation and the lobbyists\u2019 arguments about why such legislation should pass.\u00a0 We asked for one thing during the half-hour meeting with Rep. Baltimore.\u00a0 We would like to see a non-partisan person speak to the members of the House Judiciary Committee, hopefully with lobbyists and staff present, about the appropriate use of Fiscal Notes, and in particular, Minority Impact Statements.<\/p>\n Rep. Baltimore brought up a very good argument when he said that Fiscal Notes have the ability to be used to shame legislators into opposing otherwise good legislation.\u00a0 Yes, we agree.\u00a0 That is why it would be a very good idea to have a committee meeting dedicated to explaining their usefulness and proper place in the legislative process.<\/p>\n After giving it some thought, Rep. Baltimore decided it would be a good idea given the number of newly elected legislators slotted to serve on his committee. \u00a0Likewise, we discussed the idea with Rep. Clel Baudler<\/a> (R-Greenfield), chair of the House Public Safety Committee<\/a>.\u00a0 He was warm to the idea of a presentation for his committee, as well.<\/p>\n We also met with Sen. Steve Sodders<\/a> (D-State Center) who took to heart our request to hold a meeting on minority impact statements.\u00a0 He invited three presenters: Beth Lenstra, from the Legislative Services Agency (LSA), Fiscal Services Division<\/a>; Sarah Johnson, a Justice System Analyst from The Division of Criminal and Justice Planning<\/a> (CJJP) of the Iowa Department of Human Rights; and Lettie Prell, Research Director for the Iowa Department of Corrections<\/a> (DOC).\u00a0 Beth Lenstra started the presentation with a similar overview that was given in the House Public Safety Committee and House Judiciary Committee.\u00a0 She had been told by the House to keep the presentation short.\u00a0 There was no restriction set in the Senate.<\/p>\n Sara Johnson followed with a handout explaining what CJJP does and how they can help with: data; prison population forecasting (is it projected to grow or decline based on facts and projections); and correctional\/fiscal impact statements.\u00a0 There are simulation tools that are used if a person wants to see what happens when penalties are increased or decreased.\u00a0 She also discussed the Public Safety Advisory Board<\/a> and its purpose [Note:\u00a0 The Public Safety Advisory Board has merged with two other councils and is now the Justice Advisory Board<\/a>] .<\/p>\n Lettie Prell finished the presentation with a handout that was presented at the Iowa Summit on Justice and Disparities<\/a> the previous fall.\u00a0 She stated that 2011 showed the highest number of African American inmates.\u00a0 On the day she spoke, there were 2,118 African Americans incarcerated in the Iowa correctional prison system.\u00a0 That was 26% of the prison population<\/a> and since only 3.1% of Iowa\u2019s population is African American, this was a huge disproportion.\u00a0 Prell stated that the two crimes that are leading to this problem are drug offenses and robbery, both carrying mandatory minimum sentences.<\/p>\n There were a number of good questions from the senators following the presentations.\u00a0 We have no answers to these questions, and perhaps it\u2019s time again to have someone research these questions to find answers to some of the most pressing.<\/p>\n Sen. Janet Peterson<\/a> (D-Des Moines) asked if there was any data on African Americans hiring an attorney.<\/p>\n Sen. Rob Hogg<\/a> (D-Cedar Rapids) wanted to know if they were tracking data on other risk factors such as education level and mental illness.\u00a0 Sen. Hogg pointed out that the previous statement about the peak of African Americans in 2011 was inaccurate.\u00a0 People were not being paroled at that time and the numbers in prison were in excess of 9,000 compared to approximately 8,000 now.\u00a0 In reality, it was not proportional, the number of African-Americans has gone up.\u00a0 It seems that 26% has been the steady disproportionate number for the last 3 or 4 years.<\/p>\n Sen. Sodders wanted to know if CJJP could break down the data from the handout on felony convictions.\u00a0 Were these violent felonies?<\/p>\n Sen Herman Quirmbach<\/a> (D-Ames) wanted to know if they ever went back to check the accuracy of the prison forecasts.<\/p>\n Sen. Sodders asked Prell, \u201cWhat is causing the disparity?\u201d She said it was drug trafficking. Specifically, marijuana.\u00a0 They found that African Americans are more likely to go to prison for possessing less marijuana than whites. This created a moment of shocked silence.<\/p>\n Sen. Kevin Kinney<\/a> (D-Oxford) asked about the criminal history.<\/p>\n Sen Julian Garrett<\/a> (R-Indianola) asked if the differences in sentences could be attributed to other factors.\u00a0 For example, jurisdictions?<\/p>\n Sen. Brad Zaun<\/a> (R-Urbandale) brought up an issue that his constituents are concerned about.\u00a0 A particular fellow that had been in the news over repeated OWIs only got his hand slapped because he had more resources.\u00a0 It bothers the senator that people are treated differently.<\/p>\n Last Question:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>What can they do as a legislative body to address the disproportionate incarceration?<\/strong><\/p>\n Prell responded by say that she had been doing this since 1981.\u00a0 Iowa could do what Minnesota was doing for sentencing guidelines, but Iowa probably was not ready.<\/p>\n Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines<\/a>:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe Sentencing Guidelines embody the goals of the criminal justice system as determined by the citizens of the state through their elected representatives. This system promotes uniform and proportional sentences for convicted felons and helps to ensure that sentencing decisions are not influenced by factors such as race, gender, or the exercise of constitutional rights by the defendant. The Guidelines serve as a model for the criminal justice system as a whole to aspire to, as well as provide a standard to measure how well the system is working.\u201d<\/p>\n Are sentencing guidelines really necessary?\u00a0 Of course, the answer came from a bureaucrat.\u00a0 The obvious answer to this question is to look at minority impacts statements; pay attention to the statistics and determine if the proposed legislation is the only way to address a problem; or more importantly, is the legislation necessary.\u00a0 Is the proposed legislation the result of a knee-jerk reaction to one or two cases?\u00a0 Is the legislation redundant?\u00a0 Is it going to be used for the practice of plea bargaining?\u00a0 The statistics and projections in a minority impact statement are more important than persuasive argument by county attorneys, law enforcement, and yes, victims.<\/p>\n Lobbyists need to step up, also.\u00a0 When legislators reject an argument about minority impact statements, and they do \u2013 often \u2013 lobbyists need to refuse to back down.\u00a0 For some legislators, the concept of a minority impact is foreign to them.\u00a0 Many will argue that justice is blind; the law is designed without color of skin in mind; that \u201cif you can\u2019t do the time, don\u2019t do the crime.\u201d\u00a0 Legislators need to understand the reasoning behind minority impact statements, and a lobbyist can and should explain that impact statements do not mean that you scrap a bill or an idea.\u00a0 It means that you have to get out of the box and explore why more people of color commit certain crimes.\u00a0 Are there statutes in the Code that address the issue already?\u00a0 What alternatives are available to prevent the disproportionate incarceration of minorities?\u00a0 It\u2019s a conversation starter; not a death warrant to the bill.<\/p>\n The important answer to addressing disproportionality in the criminal justice system has been the elephant in the room for far too long.\u00a0 Why is it that young African-American men (and women now, too) are disproportionately facing prison terms more than their white counterparts?\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Let\u2019s do something about that.<\/p>\n # # #<\/p>\n Is it working?<\/u><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u>In 2014, the Sentencing Project cited an Associated Press finding<\/a> that minority impact statements in Iowa \u201cappear to be having a modest effect\u201d. A review of 61 impact statements issued since 2009 suggests that the policy has been \u201chelping to defeat some legislation that could have exacerbated disparities and providing a smoother path to passage for measures deemed neutral or beneficial to minorities.\u201d https:\/\/apnews.com\/d320d9fdb9794d71b8b6436b808e0b16<\/a><\/p>\n It’s difficult to assume that any one factor has a stronger effect on legislation than any other.\u00a0 However, twenty-three percent of bills in which a minority impact predicted a negative impact on people of color became law.\u00a0 Minority impact statements in which the projection of having a neutral or positive impact on people of color were more likely to be enacted than not.<\/p>\n While \u201clawmakers underuse<\/a> these impact statements, legislators say that this tool has shaped their debates.\u201d \u00a0Former Rep. Wayne Ford, the law\u2019s author, said, \u201cWhat we started years ago has begun a movement.\u201d<\/p>\n Based on an analysis of four states currently conducting racial impact analysis (Connecticut, Iowa, Minnesota, and Oregon), Jessica Erickson\u2019s comment<\/a> in the\u00a0Washington Law Review<\/em> makes three recommendations for states considering such legislation. First, criminal justice bills should automatically trigger racial impact statements, as states where this is not the case produce fewer impact statements. Second, states should more clearly define the scope and categories of analysis to be included in the impact statements. Finally, states should impose procedural requirements, such as public comment or comparison with alternatives, to encourage lawmakers to preempt new sources of racial disparities in the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n Jessica Erickson, Comment, Racial Impact Statements: Considering the Consequences of Racial Disproportionalities in the Criminal Justice System, 89 Wash.L. Rev.1425 (2014). Available at: https:\/\/digitalcommons.law.uw.edu\/wlr\/vol89\/iss4\/12<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>There is a fourth recommendation from those of us in Iowa.\u00a0 Iowa has one thing that no other state has.\u00a0 Iowa has what is called a Justice Data Warehouse<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cThe Justice Data Warehouse (JDW) is a central repository of key criminal and juvenile justice information from the Judicial Branch Case Management System and information from the Iowa Correctional Offender Network (ICON) system.\u201d\u00a0 Much of the data used in preparing Minority Impact Statements is stored in the JDW.\u00a0 The history of knowing what sort of crimes are committed by certain segments of society is essential to determining how a related crime may affect those particular portions of the population.\u00a0 It\u2019s more than race; the JDW can also sort information by age, gender, and location.<\/p>\n Other states considering the implementation of a law requiring minority impact statements must design and use a system similar to the Iowa JDW.\u00a0 Otherwise, the process may fall to guesswork, innuendo, or worse yet, a lack of trust in information.<\/p>\n A minority impact statement attached to a fiscal note can be a curse as well as a blessing.\u00a0 Law enforcement lobbyists will downplay the usefulness of a minority impact statement or a fiscal note.\u00a0 To them, it is a curse.\u00a0 Because there are so many associations and organizations represented in the Iowa rotunda, the combined voices of those entities carry a lot of weight.\u00a0 Barely, will law enforcement even bring up a minority impact statement if it estimates that there is no impact.\u00a0 They would rather ignore them, altogether.\u00a0 They are consistent in this respect.<\/p>\n Debate on the chamber floor, when the minority impact statement is brought up, can be heart-wrenching or encouraging.\u00a0 Lawmakers who insist that a piece of legislation is important to cut down crime, close loopholes, enhance penalties to serve as deterrents, and give law enforcement more \u201ctools\u201d at its disposal to use as leverage have political intentions.\u00a0 Legislators who know how to use the power of the minority impact statement can be very effective spokespersons in persuading colleagues about the effects of passing legislation that may increase the disproportionate rate of minorities in the correctional system. \u00a0It does come down to a them versus us situation in many instances.\u00a0 However, the sooner a minority impact statement can be produced prior to debate, the better equipped the advocates of justice will be able to prevail.<\/p>\n \u201cEven with the current flaws that exist today in this legislation, Iowa\u2019s statute on minority impacts statements is still the best model in America.\u201d\u00a0 Wayne Ford, the legislation\u2019s author.<\/p>\n # # #<\/p>\n Fix the law, not the punishment<\/u><\/p>\n For over thirty years, I have been reading Iowa Supreme Court opinions as they have been handed down.\u00a0 I can predict, with pretty good accuracy, which statutes will be amended or created in the near future based upon the State losing a case.\u00a0 No county attorney would admit that the prosecution was flawed.\u00a0 Media reporters are told that a person got off on a technicality, or that the law is not strong enough.\u00a0 Never will a prosecutor admit that the defendant was charged with the incorrect crime, or that the defense attorney had done a better job of preparing for the trial, or that the case should have been settled or dropped before going to trial.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the answer to losing cases often seems to be enhancing a penalty or creating a new law.<\/p>\n A technicality can be the absence of a comma, a misplaced comma, or any other piece of punctuation that makes a statute mean something different from what legislators intended. It can be that law enforcement or prosecutors violated a fundamental constitutional right. Or, it can mean that a procedural error existed; such as not following a specific provision of the Rules of Evidence, the Rules or Criminal Procedure, or any other aspect of the judicial system.<\/p>\n https:\/\/iowappa.com\/?p=1607<\/a><\/p>\n When ordinary citizens claim someone got off because of a technicality, the technically is often poorly worded laws.<\/p>\n https:\/\/iowappa.com\/?p=1791<\/a><\/p>\n But time and again, the Legislature is the first and last stop on justification.\u00a0 Legislators respect law enforcement and county attorneys, as we all should.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a problem, but they can be fallible.\u00a0 Too many criminal statutes are the result of court cases that were lost.\u00a0 There are laws in the Code that have never been used.\u00a0 They exist because of the lost case syndrome.\u00a0 However, enhancing a penalty because of a lost case is a different matter.<\/p>\n Enhancing penalties is one of the biggest red herrings in the lawmaking business.\u00a0 It looks like the legislature is doing \u201csomething\u201d to prevent crime from occurring, but it does absolutely nothing to prevent crime.\u00a0 It only places a defendant in prison or jail for a longer period of time.\u00a0 That\u2019s all it can do.<\/p>\n Enhancing penalties will not prevent crime because the crime will still be committed.\u00a0 Criminals do not research consequences before committing a crime because that would imply that they intend to be caught.\u00a0 That scenario might play out only if an ex-felon could not live outside the walls of confinement and wanted to go back to prison.<\/p>\n Crimes are committed under an umbrella of five factors:<\/p>\n What does the enhancement of a penalty do to deter a criminal act when considering the factors above?\u00a0 Enhancing penalties is the most ineffective manner in which to control crime, or prison population, for that matter.\u00a0 Unfortunately, minorities appear to be the overwhelming subjects of enhanced penalties.<\/p>\n Rather than creating new crimes or enhancing the penalties of laws already on the books, legislators need to look at the current law instead of the punishment.\u00a0 What is it that is not working?\u00a0 Is the punishment too harsh for the offense?<\/p>\n \u201c[T]he Eighth Amendment\u2019s protection against Many criminal laws are created with punishments that seem to have been pulled out of a hat.\u00a0 Legislation creating criminal statutes, or enhancing current statutes, appear to develop rather quickly.\u00a0 A few legislators do not want \u201ctheir bill\u201d watered down.\u00a0 And that goes for particular organizations, also.\u00a0 The Iowa County Attorneys Association had a bill introduced that became Senate File 2275<\/a>, a bill enhancing penalties for eluding law enforcement officers.<\/p>\n On June 1, 2020, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) signed into law Senate File 2275<\/a>.\u00a0 It is evident that the governor received bad information, or no information at all about the projections of the bill\u2019s Fiscal Note<\/a>.\u00a0 Within the fiscal note is the minority impact statement that projects a \u201cracial impact if trends remain constant\u201d.\u00a0 The most recent statistics show that \u201cAfrican Americans comprised 3.6% of the adult population of the State in FY 2019 and 19.6% of the convictions for Iowa Code section 321.279 offenses in FY 2019. \u00a0It is obvious that the governors, as well as legislators, need to pay attention to the minority impact statements that are available to them in contemplating legislation with high rates of projected disproportionate rates of incarceration.<\/p>\n According to the Iowa Bar Association, which opposed this bill, the provisions of the bill are redundant, unnecessary, and will do nothing to protect further the safety of Iowa citizens.<\/p>\n The process of developing criminal laws should be thoughtful and logical.\u00a0 They should not be something that is introduced, debated, and enacted within a short period of time.\u00a0 Research, fact-gathering, and an extended period of hearings should precede any significant change in the law \u2013 not just for enhancing the law, but also for changing elements of the law.<\/p>\n Possession thresholds for possession of crack cocaine were not based on any scientific research or logical reasoning.<\/p>\n Racial impact statements are particularly important for criminal justice policy because it is exceedingly difficult to reverse sentencing policies once they have been adopted. The classic example in this regard is the federal crack cocaine mandatory sentencing policies. Adopted in 1986 and 1988, at a time of widespread concern about this new form of cocaine, the laws were hastily passed by Congress with virtually no discussion of their potential racial impact. Two decades later, the results are in and they are very sobering. More than 80 percent of the prosecutions for crack (as opposed to powder cocaine) offenses have been of African Americans, far out of proportion to the degree that they use the drug, and there is broad consensus that the penalties are overly punitive. (U.S. Sentencing Commission, Cocaine and Federal Sentencing Policy, May 2007.)<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.ctnewsjunkie.com\/upload\/2009\/01\/second_state_to_approve_racial\/ABA_article_-_09.pdf<\/a> Mauer, Marc. Racial Impact Statements. Published in Criminal Justice, Volume 23, Number 4, Winter 2009. \u00a9 2009 American Bar Association.<\/p>\n # # #<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/u><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u>Minority impact statements, or racial impact statements, are excellent guidelines to use in developing, improving, and understanding laws that have a negative impact on a certain class of citizens.\u00a0 Racial impact statements are more specific in focus, since they pertain only to a classification of people based upon race.\u00a0 Minority impact statements are broader.\u00a0 Minority may include women, persons with disabilities, and other classes of people who have been ignored, or otherwise treated differently in the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n Minority impact statements should be automatically attached to any legislation that effects minorities, whether criminal laws, housing, transportation, grants, and other areas of government, local, state, or federal benefits or regulation.<\/p>\n We will never become equal using the scales of justice if laws continue to be made based upon knee-jerk responses.\u00a0 The Iron Chancellor Otto Von Bismark said: \u201cLaws are like sausages; it is better not to see them being made.\u201d<\/p>\n As a former sausage maker, I can tell you that Bismark\u2019s quote is dated.\u00a0 Sausage made today is a clean process; the final product is much more appetizing than it was in the Nineteenth Century; and there are no ugly hidden ingredients, they are made in strictly sanitized facilities, and are the product of years of research and improvement.\u00a0 As a former lobbyist, I can tell you that laws are still being made in the dark.\u00a0 That needs to change.\u00a0 Sausage making did.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Iowa quarter, printed in the latter part of 2004, is based upon a Grant Wood painting depicting a group of students and their teacher planting a tree outside of a county school.\u00a0 The statement on the coin says, \u201cFoundation … Continue reading \n
\nexcessive or cruel and unusual punishments flows
\nfrom the basic \u2018precept of justice that punishment for
\n[a] crime should be graduated and proportioned to
\n[the] offense.\u2019\u201d Kennedy v. Louisiana, 554 U.S. 407,
\n419, 128 S. Ct. 2641, 2649 (2008) (quoting Weems v.
\nUnited States, 217 U.S. 349, 367, 30 S. Ct. 544, 549,
\n54 L. Ed. 793, 798 (1910))(Holding that capital murder
\nis not proportional to rape of a child).<\/p>\n