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Center for Social Justice
The Center for Social Justice emphasizes multi-issue movement-building
through collaboration with and support of progressive movements working
for social justice. CSJ is an extension of CSJ staff and Board of Director’s combined
social justice work over the last 20 years. The Board of Directors and
Advisors includes leaders from various communities and movements in the
Seattle area. CSJ current focuses are criminal justice reform, poverty
and housing issues, and global justice efforts.
Time For A New Strategy in the War On DrugsAn article by Bruce Ramsey in the Seattle Times on June 15, 2005.
"Is it Time to End the War on Drugs?" The King County Bar Association gave that title to a report in 2001, and now has put out a study that answers, yes. The study, "Effective Drug Control," argues that the use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs be considered health problems instead of crimes, and that government manage, inform and help people instead of putting them in prison. Read Time For A New Strategy in the War on Drugs on the Seattle Times website. CSJ Exective Director, Daniel Merkle, speaks on behalf of Sherelyn AndersonDaniel Merkle hugs Sherelyn Anderson the day before her sentencing at the King County Superior Court for a 2001 drug case. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Prison not best way to deal with drug useAn article by Roger Lauen and CSJ Executive Director, Dan Merkle, guest columnists in the March 24, 2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
The state has built several new prisons -- adding more than 10,000 prison beds -- since 1988. The huge state deficit doesn't appear to deter prison promoters; they want to build another prison for almost $200 million, even though responsible alternatives exist. During this period, the state population grew 32 percent while the state's prison population grew a staggering 172 percent. Drug Policy Resolution Proposed for Comment"In 2001, after a year's study, the Drug Policy Project, a broad coalition of professional and civic organizations led by KCBA, concluded that present drug policy does not accomplish its objectives and, to the contrary, causes undue harm. ... [A]fter three years of work, the Drug Policy Project has proposed an innovative but measured way to develop the "public health model" called for in 2001. The proposal is set out in "KCBA Drug Policy Project - Drug Policy Resolution Proposed for Comment and Supporting Documents," which can be found on the KCBA web page at http://www.kcba.org/druglaw/proposal.html." |