News Sources: Disparities in Prison Sentences

What happens when lawmakers dictate that similar crimes should have differing penalties, or when sentences vary from courtroom to courtroom? The Supreme Court wrestled with these questions Tuesday in a pair of drug cases that included one dealing with a law that calls for tougher punishment for possession and distribution of crack cocaine than the powdered variety. The crack-powder disparity also has a strong racial dimension because the vast majority of crack offenders are black. Reporters looking for experts to interview on this topic can find them online at the collegenews.org database of news sources and subject matter experts from America's leading liberal arts colleges, including (click on names for contact information):

Robert McNamara - Assistant Professor of Sociology, Furman University - McNamara's research focuses on crime prevention, policing, drug use and prostitution. He is the author of Beating the Odds: Crime, Poverty, and Life in the Inner City, an autobiographical account of growing up in New Haven, CT.

James O'Kane - Professor of Sociology, Drew University - O'Kane focuses on issues of crime, ethnicity and urban studies. He is an expert on patterns of urban crime, especially murder. His book, The Crooked Ladder, deals with gangsters, ethnicity and the American Dream.

Lief Carter - McHugh Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Colorado College - Carter's areas of expertise include constitutional law, legal theory, courts and politics, administrative law and politics, contemporary Supreme Court, and religion and law. He is the author of five books, including Contemporary Constitutional Lawmaking: The Supreme Court and the Art of Politics and The Limits of Order.