Civilrights.org

Two reports released this week address civil rights issues in the criminal justice system:

• "The Changing Racial Dynamics of the War on Drugs," a report by the Sentencing Project, finds that the number of African Americans incarcerated in state prisons for drug offenses dropped 21 percent from 1999 to 2005.  However, the report notes that African Americans are still imprisoned at more than six times the rate of Whites for all offenses.
  
• "Justice Denied: America's Continuing Neglect of Our Constitutional Right to Counsel," a report by The Constitution Project, finds that too many people are getting inadequate representation in court or no representation at all, due to a lack of funding, large caseloads, and other problems.  NPR's Morning Edition did a story on the report today in which the report's authors explain their findings.