Alyssa C. Mooney, M. Maria Glymour, and Meghan D. Morris are with the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco. Eric Giannella is with the California Department of Justice, Oakland. Torsten B. Neilands is with the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. Jacqueline Tulsky is with the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. May Sudhinaraset is with the Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles.
Am J Public Health. 2018 Aug;108(8):987-993. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304445. Epub 2018 Jun 21.
To evaluate the effects of California Proposition 47, which reclassified felony drug offenses to misdemeanors in 2014, on racial/ethnic disparities in drug arrests.
Using data on all drug arrests made in California from 2011 to 2016, we compared racial/ethnic disparities in drug arrests between Whites, Blacks, and Latinos, immediately and 1 year after policy changes, controlling for secular and seasonal trends.
In the month following passage, absolute Black-White disparities in monthly felony drug arrests decreased from 81 to 44 per 100 000 and continued to decrease over time. There was an immediate increase of 27% in the relative disparity, however, because a higher proportion of felony offense types among Whites was reclassified. Total drug arrest rates also declined, suggesting drug law enforcement was deprioritized. During the first year after enactment, felony drug arrests fell by an estimated 51 985 among Whites, 15 028 among Blacks, and 50 113 among Latinos.
Reducing criminal penalties for drug possession can reduce racial/ethnic disparities in criminal justice exposure and has implications for improving health inequalities linked to social determinants of health.
评估 2014 年加州 Proposition 47 将重罪毒品犯罪重新归类为轻罪的效果，以了解该政策对毒品逮捕的种族/族裔差异的影响。
使用 2011 年至 2016 年期间加利福尼亚州所有毒品逮捕的数据，我们在政策变化前后立即和 1 年，控制了季节性和季节性趋势，比较了白人、黑人和拉丁裔之间毒品逮捕的种族/族裔差异。
在通过该政策后的一个月内，每月每 100000 名黑人与白人之间的重罪毒品逮捕绝对差异从 81 降至 44，并且随着时间的推移继续减少。但是，相对差异立即增加了 27%，因为白人的重罪犯罪类型比例更高。毒品逮捕总数也有所下降，表明毒品执法力度有所减弱。在颁布后的第一年，白人的重罪毒品逮捕估计减少了 51985 人，黑人减少了 15028 人，拉丁裔减少了 50113 人。
减少持有毒品的刑事处罚可以减少刑事司法暴露方面的种族/族裔差异，并对改善与健康决定因素相关的健康不平等问题具有重要意义。
