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Study: Washoe County 41st...

Original article

Study: Washoe County 41st in Nation for Drug Offenses

Posted: Dec 4, 2007 07:28 PM EST

Kellene Stockwell
Channel 2 News


A 2002 study conducted by the Justice Policy Institute claims more blacks are being sent to prison for drug offenses. It studied 198 counties across the nation looking at the number of blacks going to prison for drug offenses versus their white counterparts. The study goes to say that Washoe County ranks 41st in the nation.

The study says the ratio of blacks to white inmates in Los Angeles for example was 17-1 while in Washoe County the ratio was 16-1, 60% higher than the national average.

Its five-year-old statistics Reno Police Chief Michael Poehlman calls dated and sketchy. "There's no multi-year comparison. There's no look at increase or decrease and the factors behind that."

Chief Poehlman says unfortunately minorities do makeup a larger proportion of prison inmates nationwide. He attributes it a couple of factors - from the socioeconomic backgrounds to single-family homes. He says blaming the high number of black inmates on our criminal justice system is simply inaccurate and denies any racial profiling. "Bottom line though is if people are in fact breaking the law then they're going to be prosecuted and taken through the system no matter what race they are."

District Court Judge Janet Berry agrees actually seeing a spike in another minority group. "I see all races come through the courtroom. Actually we're seeing a lot more at least in my department. It seems like we're seeing a lot more Hispanic people."

A representative for the local NAACP says black people make up just 2% of the population in Washoe County and says the numbers don't add up.