Abstract
Is there a logical basis for the 100:1 crack/powder cocaine sentencing ratio, by which an offender must distribute one hundred times as much powder cocaine as a similar crack offender to receive the same base sentence? William Spade argues that, although crack is more addictive and more easily marketable than powder cocaine, the 100:1 ratio unjustly overstates these differences and is politically untenable, given that most of the penological burden falls on African-American offenders. He concludes that a 20:1 ratio, which conservatively estimates the difference in amounts that mid-level crack and powder dealers distribute, as well as crack's greater addictiveness, would adequately account for the real differences between crack and powder without unfairly punishing crack offenders.
How to Cite
Spade, W., Jr., (1996) “Beyond the 100:1 Ratio: Towards a Rational Cocaine Sentencing Policy”, Arizona Law Review 38(4), 1233–1289.
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