Cleveland Eases Charges for Some Crack-Pipe Cases
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Mark Puente
11/10/2008
Frank Jackson takes a big step toward balancing Cleveland’s drug laws with those of surrounding communities. People found with drug paraphernalia with traces of crack or heroin will get addiction treatment rather than a felony.
The goal is to get addicts treatment without saddling them with a felony that could impair their ability to turn their lives around, Jackson said.
He warned that the new protocol will not provide a free pass to criminals, and police will still aggressively pursue drug arrests. The new policy gives them a chance to treat their addiction, Jackson said.
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Presently, drug abusers face felony possession charges if caught with trace amounts of drugs in a crack pipe or heroin syringe. Community activists have said for years that similar cases from the suburbs are charged as misdemeanors, leading to inequity in how justice is delivered.
Cleveland is the only large city in Ohio that charges drug-paraphernalia cases as felonies, Jackson said. About 6,000 people face felony-drug charges every year in the city.
Jackson expects 1,200 to 1,500 of those cases to fall under the new policy. Robberies, thefts and burglaries should drop because people in treatment aren’t stealing to fuel their addictions, he said.
“This is about helping people and stopping the behavior that is destroying our neighborhoods,” Jackson added.
The city will adopt a progressive system, similar to a three-strike law and drunken-driving laws.
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[Jackson] stressed that for years community activists have argued that low-level drug offenders — regardless of race — need treatment, not felony records.
Drug and alcohol addicts come from all races and communities, Jackson said. He stressed the new policy is not only directed at Clevelanders but also the suburban addicts who scour the city for dope.