Disproportionate Impact of Drug-free Zone Laws on Black, Latinx, and AAPI Populations Across the US

• In Event: Racial and Intersectional Inequality in Courts and Sentencing

Abstract

Drug-free zones (DFZs) are geographically-defined sentencing enhancements for drug-related offenses. Initially designed to deter drug-related activities around schools in the 1970s, research studies have since concluded that DFZ laws are ineffective at reducing drug use. DFZs have since expanded, imposing stricter penalties within specified radii of designated location types. In Connecticut, selling drugs within 200 feet of a “public housing project” increases sentence length by three years. In Arkansas, drug possession within 1,000 feet of a church carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years on top of the original sentence. Unbeknownst to many, DFZs apply even inside private residences. Previous case studies in Connecticut and Tennessee have shown DFZs disproportionately impacting Black residents. We sought to assess racialized impact nationally, by compiling the first comprehensive geospatial dataset of DFZ locations and their geographic boundaries on a national level. By spatially joining these boundaries with US Census data, we quantify how many residents, disaggregated by race, live within DFZs. We find Black, Latinx, and AAPI residents more likely to live in a DFZ, revealing systemic bias and likely exacerbating racial sentencing disparities. Simulating changes to existing DFZs can guide future legislative reform and foster a more equitable justice system.

Authors

• Kudakwashe V. Mawunganidze, Campaign Zero

• Andrew D. Zaharia, Campaign Zero

• Brennan Klein, Northeastern University / Harvard University

• Abdul Nasser Rad, Campaign Zero