"Institutional Racism and Sentencing Disparities for Cocaine Possession"
Keith M. Kilty
Ohio State University
and
Alfred Joseph
Miami University
Abstract: With the advent of the Reagan-Bush years came the contemporary "War
on Drugs" and a mounting drug frenzy that has had a profound impact on the
lives of black men in American society. Connections between race and drug use are
nothing new. At one time or another, many racial and ethnic groups in this country
have been victimized by being linked as a group to some type of illicit drug use.
Most recently, such links can be seen in the 1986 and 1988 Federal legislation regarding
cocaine possession. In 1986, the US Congress for the first time established minimum
mandatory sentences for federal cocaine offenses. While initially the legislation
applied to trafficking, it was extended to simple possession in 1988. The critical
element was a distinction between crack and powder cocaine, and societal images
of which racial groups use which form of the drug and beliefs about violence involved
with crack cocaine. This paper is an effort to document the role of institutional
racism in the making and implementation of social policy. Institutional racism refers
to practices in social institutions and organizations that favor one racial group
over another. In terms of possession of cocaine, black men are far overrepresented
in terms of arrests, convictions, and sentences to prison. These policies have deeply
affected the lives of many young black men and their families, friends, and communities.
"Work, Welfare and the Breadwinning Mother: Incorporating
Gender into Structural Vulnerability Theory"
Stephanie Moller
University of North Carolina
Abstract: The Structural Vulnerability approach to poverty combines human capital
and structural theories, arguing that poverty results from vulnerability to economic
crises, which are often caused by macro-economic changes. Individuals low in human
capital are especially vulnerable to economic shifts. I build on this approach by
arguing that incorporating the social aspects of poverty into this theory helps
social scientists more fully understand the nature of poverty in the United States.
I present an analysis of three focus groups with welfare recipients in New Castle
County, Delaware. My findings suggest that welfare recipients desire self-sufficiency
but need human capital development and "decent" employment opportunities
to attain independence. In their attempts to attain the skills necessary for employment,
they face numerous obstacles including those associated with the dual roles they
play as the primary caregiver and breadwinner. I contend that the tension associated
with this dual role causes women to make choices that help explain the intricacies
of poverty among single mothers.
"Promise of Welfare Reform: Development Through Devolution
on Indian Reservations"
Shanta Pandey
Eddie F. Brown
Leslie Scheuler-Whitaker
Bethney Gundersen
And
Karin Eyrich
Washington University
Abstract: In the 1990s, devolution of authority from federal to states and local
governmental institutions in the administration of social welfare policies, programs,
and services is seen as an answer to alleviating poverty among low-income families
with children. To this effect, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 has granted an option to tribal governments
to administer their own Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) services.
In this article we provide findings from early experience of tribes within Arizona
in their attempt to self-administer TANF services. We collected and analyzed data
from multiple sources, including a review of documents provided by the state and
tribal members, in-depth telephone interviews with service providers on 15 of the
21 reservations, and site visits to four reservations at which we conducted group
interviews with state and tribal service providers. We found that under the 1996
welfare legislation, tribal governments have greater authority and flexibility to
self-administer welfare policies on their reservations, but they are lacking adequate
financial and technical resources to exercise these responsibilities effectively.
One unintended positive outcome of this legislation is that communication, coordination,
and collaboration among tribes, between tribes and states and tribes and the federal
government has increased.
"The Work of Mothers: Strategies for Survival in an
Inner-City Neighborhood"
Deborah L. Puntenney
Northwestern University
Abstract: Employment is increasingly important to poor mothers because they face
both the need supplement their inadequate public assistance benefits, and the eventual
loss of benefits that will result from recent changes in welfare policy. At the
same time, they are engaged in extensive unpaid caregiving work for which they find
little support. This article examines how poor mothers balance productive and reproductive
work and explores the factors that influence how these patterns are generated. The
research uses long-term participant observation in an inner-city public housing
development, and in-depth interviews among 56 resident welfare mothers to explore
these questions. The findings illustrate that some mothers are already working at
full capacity, managing labor market and caregiving work in the midst of circumstances
- including gang violence, serious health problems among individuals for whom they
have undertaken responsibility, and illogical and punitive welfare systems - that
are far beyond their control.