1986
Washington, DC, DC · On map
Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, establishing a 100:1 sentencing disparity between crack cocaine (disproportionately used by Black Americans) and powder cocaine (disproportionately used by white Americans) [3][9]. This legislation codified racial disparities in the federal penal system, mandating minimum sentences that resulted in the mass incarceration of Black and Latino individuals. The act is widely cited by historians as a primary driver of the racial imbalances in the prison population.
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