Strong drug enforcement in the United States is correlated with reductions in crime, drug use, and drug addiction growth rates. The impact of tougher drug sanctions has been overshadowed by a prevalent myth that U.S. drug enforcement has become "too punitive' or is a failed approach that should be replaced with a "public health' strategy by diverting enforcement resources into treatment programs.

This myth has been packaged and promoted by the multi-million dollar pro-drug legalization lobby, civil libertarians, and misguided academic researchers to the media and public with limited critical review and challenge. Historical experience warns that weakening drug enforcement leads to increased societal costs and problems.

Attacks on drug enforcement efforts often hold law enforcement to impossible and changing performance standards. Law enforcement, treatment, and prevention complement one another. None of the credit for a dramatic twelve year decline in drug use among our children is attributed to law enforcement, yet recent increases in drug use are cited as evidence of enforcement's failure.

The prevailing myth is that the U.S. has taken a progressively tougher drug enforcement stance for the past 30 years and that this punitive approach has not been successful or beneficial.

The basic premise that the U.S. has taken a progressively more punitive policy on drugs is inaccurate and based on faulty measures. When toughness is re-defined from arrest and incarceration numbers to reflect the proportion of drug arrestees actually incarcerated, one finds that the nation entered a period of drug permissiveness beginning in 1960 and ending in 1980. It is during this period of drug permissiveness and weak punitive sanctions that a dramatic rise in crime and violence swept across America. The decline in drug offender incarceration rates was steep and sudden. In 1960, the incarceration rate for drug offenders was over 90 per 1000 arrests, by 1980 that figure reached a low point of only 19 of every 1000 offenders being incarcerated.

As drug incarceration rates fell 374% from 1960-1980:

Serious crimes increased 215%, on average up 11% per year.

Property crime increased 210 %, on average up 11% per year

Violent crime increased 252%, on up average 13 % per year

Drug use among teens (% who use) climbed 27% from just 1974-1980

Murders increased 100%, an average 5 % per year.

Burglary increased 230 %, an average 12 % per year.

Drug addiction rates also rose, with heroin use climbing 900%

As drug incarceration rates rose 447% from 1980-1994:

Serious crimes declined 8%

Number of teens who used drugs declined 193%

Property crime declined 12 %

Murders declined 7%

Burglary declined 35%

Violent crime rate growth slowed from 13 to 2% per year

Heavy cocaine use fell 11% and heavy heroin use 17% from 1988

The entire 215% rise in crime rates experienced during the past three decades in the U.S. transpired when drug incarceration rates fell below the 1960 level during a period of declining incarceration rates for drug offenders. This permissive period also is correlated with rising drug use.

Historical experience indicates that arresting drug offenders is not an effective policy, offenders have to be incarcerated and risk facing consequences to have an impact. It is only when the U.S. abandoned a permissive treatment dominated drug policy that the growth in drug use and crime was abated.

The peak year for murder and property crime in the U.S. was 1978-1980. Drug incarceration rates reached their lowest ebb during these years. After 1980, crime rates began to stabilize and have declined overall as drug incarceration rates increased. It was not until 1990, that drug incarceration rates reached the level the nation was at in 1960. The crime rate began falling again in 1992, as drug incarceration rates reached record levels. Estimates for 1994 are that violent crime dropped another 4% and murder, rape, and burglary dropped 5%.

U.S. police chiefs believe that the number one way to reduce crime is to reduce drug use. The imposition of mandatory minimum drug penalties in 1988 was followed by the nation's largest decrease in drug use. The proportion of murders related to narcotics also has fallen with tougher drug sentencing practices and the imposition of mandatory minimum laws.

Young black males are seven times as likely to be murdered as their white counterparts. This racial discrepancy rose during the drug permissive 1970's and peaked in 1972, when black males were more than 11 times as likely to be murdered than white males.

Myth: Too many non-violent first time minor drug offenders are in prison.

Fact: The most comprehensive study ever of U.S. prisoners by the U.S. Department of Justice found the following:

1. 93.5% of state prisoners were either violent or repeat offenders, two thirds are currently in prison for a violent crime (violent crime makes up only 9% of all crime).

2. Only 1.3% of state drug prisoners are not repeat or violent offenders of the 6.5% in this category.

3. Only .6% of state prisoners were in prison for marijuana possession (with unknown quantity) and only 2% were in for marijuana trafficking.

4. In federal prison the average amount of marijuana a trafficker was involved with was 3.5 tons and cocaine traffickers averaged 183 pounds of cocaine.

5. Only 1.3% of federal prisoners are in prison for drug possession charges (average pot possession is 105 pounds).

6. A large number of federal prisoners are aliens and their prior criminal record may not reflect their entire criminal history.

Myth: Drug arrests are increasing and threaten to overwhelm the criminal justice system if alternatives to the criminal justice approach are not undertaken.

Fact: Drug arrests are declining and the criminal justice system is not about to be overwhelmed by drug cases.

1. Drug arrests have been decreasing since 1989 and only make up 8% of all arrests nationwide.

2. Federal prosecutors have declined to prosecute an increasing proportion of drug cases.

3. Alternative sentences are being used and growing.

4. Court caseloads for drug offenses have declined the past few years and court and prison staff have generally kept pace with increased drug caseloads.

5. Decriminalization would result in more drug related arrests, alcohol related arrests far outnumber drug arrests, with more teens arrested for underage drinking than drug offenses.

Myth: Drug sentences are too harsh and mandatory minimums should be repealed.

Fact: Drug incarceration rates plummeted through 1980 and stronger incarceration and mandatory minimum terms are the result of public demanded. There is evidence that drug sentencing is still inadequate.

1. Despite lengthy terms on paper, the average federal drug possessor imprisoned served only 8 months.

2. Those convicted of a federal drug possession offense were less likely to be incarcerated than those convicted of liquor law or motor carrier regulatory violations.

3. The proportion of drug offenders who are traffickers has increased as drug possession convictions and incarceration declined since the late 1980's.
 

PAE Reports: The Success of Tough Drug Enforcement exposes many of the myths and misunderstandings about the impact of tougher drug enforcement and warns against turning back to the drug permissive policy of the 1970's. The report covers in detail, the success of mandatory minimum terms, the truth about race and drug laws, the increased efficiency and effectiveness of drug enforcement agencies, actual sentencing practices, drug treatment through tough drug policy, and the facts behind murder, youth violence and drugs.

This report includes presentation ready graphics, numerous charts and tables, and extensive original source citations. To order a full copy of this report, send a written request with your name and address to:

PAE Services

Robert E. Peterson

P.O. Box 1184

Vestal, New York 13850-1184