NCJ Number
129351
Journal
Clearinghouse Review Volume: 24 Issue: 5 Dated: special issue (1990) Pages: 504-509
Date Published
1990
Length
6 pages
Annotation
A legal service client's perspective on what legal service advocates can and should be doing to help low-income communities fight the drug war is presented.
Abstract
Legal service strategies currently being proposed by Congress and the Legal Services Corporation are somewhat confusing, due in part to the war on drugs. The drug problem cannot be solved by denying the rights of citizens and believing that any end justifies the means. Current statistics show that the national prison population has doubled within the last 10 years, with two-thirds of those in prison because of drug charges. No matter how tough the sentence, incarcerated drug abusers will eventually be released from jail. By the year 2010, it is estimated there will be 50 Social Security recipients for every 100 working people. The work force of the future will include a much higher percentage of minorities. In addition, the population is exploding with children born to teenage parents, and some of these babies are born addicted. Schools, mental health clinics, and community centers designed to provide counseling, education, and treatment are overwhelmed by the large number of individuals seeking assistance. As legal service lawyers become involved in the war on drugs, legal assistance is being provided to those who would otherwise be unable to afford it. Legal advocates should fight for equity in health care, drug testing, and day care centers. They should also work with parents of children in school, work to have babies born addicted to drugs granted handicapped status, and work for clients in eviction cases involving drug use in public housing developments. 12 endnotes