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Research Report

Caught in the Net: The Impact of Drug Policies on Women & Families

  • Patricia Allard
  • Kirsten Levingston
Published: November 4, 2004

Federal and state drug laws and policies over the past twenty years have had specific, devastating, and disparate effects on women, and particularly on women of color and low-income women. These effects require further study and careful consideration as state and federal decision-makers evaluate existing and prospective drug laws and policies. 

The ACLU, Break the Chains: Communities of Color and the War on Drugs, and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law co-authored this report that compiles for the first time existing research on the effects of current drug laws and sentencing policies on women and their families.