Americans are becoming more lenient about drug-related offenses, but they’re not paying much attention to the issue, according to a new survey.
Recommended Stories
Although a plurality of Americans believe drug sentences are too tough, very large percentages don’t know enough to give an opinion on the matter.
Last month, President Obama commuted the sentences of 22 prisoners who were serving long prison terms for nonviolent drug offenses — something 46 percent of Americans strongly approved of or somewhat approved of. Nearly a third — 33 percent — were not sure about their feelings on the commutation, and 23 percent disapproved somewhat or strongly.
The approval of Obama’s decision to commute the sentences seems to correlate with Americans’ views on drug sentencing.
According to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll, 40 percent say the sentences for nonviolent drug crimes are typically too harsh, compared to 14 percent who say they are too lenient. Another 25 percent said sentences are about right. And fully 20 percent said they were not sure.
Democrats (50 percent) and Independents (41 percent) were more likely to think prison sentences given for nonviolent drug crimes are too harsh. Thirty-eight percent of Republicans think the sentences are about right.
“Well, here’s the good news. There is an increasing realization on the Left, but also on the Right politically, that what we’re doing is counterproductive,” Obama said about the push for drug sentencing reform on Capitol Hill in a March interview with David Simon, creator of the HBO series “The Wire.” “We’re all responsible for at least a solution to this.”
The public doesn’t seem to be paying much attention, however. A majority (53 percent) of respondents told the pollsters they had “heard nothing at all” about Obama’s commutations, while a plurality (44 percent) described themselves as not sure whether they approve or disapprove of Obama’s handling of drug policy.
In his launch of his 2016 presidential campaign Tuesday, Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul called for a repeal of drug laws in a way to appeal to voters of color.
“I see an America where criminal justice is applied equally and any law that disproportionately incarcerates people of color is repealed,” Paul said.
He has long railed against federal drug laws, which sets him apart from many of his fellow Republican lawmakers — including those who are likely to run in 2016.
Fifty-three percent of blacks in the HuffPost/YouGov poll said they believe prison sentences for nonviolent drug crimes are too harsh.
The poll of 1,000 U.S. adults was conducted April 1-3 with a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
