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Tytuł:
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Racial and gender inequities in the implementation of a cannabis criminal justice diversion program in a large and diverse metropolitan county of the USA.
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Autorzy:
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Sanchez HF; Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, 3657 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77204, United States. Electronic address: .
Orr MF; Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 3695 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77204, United States. Electronic address: .
Wang A; Department of Neurology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin, Street, Houston TX 77030, United States. Electronic address: .
Cano MÁ; Department of Epidemiology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8thSt AHC5, Miami, FL 33199, United States. Electronic address: .
Vaughan EL; Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, Indiana University, 201 N Rose Ave, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States. Electronic address: .
Harvey LM; Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, 3657 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77204, United States. Electronic address: .
Essa S; Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, 3657 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77204, United States. Electronic address: .
Torbati A; Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, 3657 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77204, United States. Electronic address: .
Clark US; Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1468 Madison Ave New York, NY 10029, United States. Electronic address: .
Fagundes CP; Department of Psychology, Rice University, 6100 Main St, Houston, TX 77005, United States. Electronic address: .
de Dios MA; Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, 3657 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77204, United States; HEALTH Research Institute, University of Houston, 4849 Calhoun Rd, Houston, TX 77204, United States. Electronic address: .
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Źródło:
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Drug and alcohol dependence [Drug Alcohol Depend] 2020 Nov 01; Vol. 216, pp. 108316. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Sep 28.
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Typ publikacji:
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Journal Article
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Język:
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English
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Imprint Name(s):
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Publication: Limerick : Elsevier
Original Publication: Lausanne, Elsevier Sequoia.
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MeSH Terms:
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Ethnicity*
Socioeconomic Factors*
Criminal Law/*trends
Marijuana Use/*ethnology
Marijuana Use/*trends
Racial Groups/*ethnology
Urban Population/*trends
Adult ; Cannabis ; Female ; Humans ; Law Enforcement/methods ; Male ; Marijuana Use/legislation & jurisprudence ; Middle Aged ; Sex Factors ; Texas/ethnology ; United States/epidemiology
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Contributed Indexing:
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Keywords: African Americans; Cannabis; Diversion; Latinos; Marijuana; Race/ethnicity
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Entry Date(s):
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Date Created: 20201005 Date Completed: 20210405 Latest Revision: 20211204
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Update Code:
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20240105
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DOI:
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10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108316
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PMID:
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33017750
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Background: Diversion programs are considered alternatives to the arrest and incarceration of non-violent drug offenders, including those found in possession of smaller amounts of cannabis in states with prohibitive laws. Despite the progressive nature of such programs, the inability to complete diversion program requirements can often result in greater involvement with the criminal justice system than traditional case adjudication. Few studies have evaluated racial group differences in cannabis diversion program completion.
Methods: The current study examined a sample of 8323 adult participants in Harris County, Texas' Marijuana Misdemeanor Diversion Program (MMDP) between March 2017 and July 2019. Gender, age, and race/ethnicity were examined as predictors of program completion and time to completion using Chi square, Kruskal Wallis tests, and Cox proportional hazard regression models.
Results: Both males and African Americans were over-represented (80 % and 50 %, respectively) among participants of Harris County's MMDP. African American (HR = 0.782, 95 % CI [.735-.832], p < .001) and Latino American MMDP participants (HR = .822, 95 % CI [.720-.937], p = .003) had significantly lower odds of MMDP completion and a longer interval to program completion as compared to non-Latino White participants.
Conclusions: The current study identified racial/ethnic and gender disparities in a large county's cannabis diversion program. These findings may be related to law enforcement disparities which disproportionately target males and people of color. Findings may serve to inform the continued reform of the criminal justice system, particularly laws relating to cannabis.
(Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
