One of the few positive achievements of the failed 40-year war on drugs is that a majority of the public is open to alternatives to an excessive reliance on punishment, especially incarceration, as a means to reduce the harms of drug use and abuse. Treatment — as broad-ranging and nebulous as that term can be — offers the prospect of a more effective approach. Continue Reading
Jury nullification occurs when a jury refuses to convict a defendant they know has broken the law — perhaps because they dislike the law or believe the probable punishment is too harsh, or maybe just because of strong positive or negative feelings about the defendant or the victim. Continue Reading
More than 100 million people in this country have tried marijuana at some point. More than 28 million will do so this year. It will not make them dangerous or more interesting. It should not make them criminals. Continue Reading
On Monday, June 4, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and the city’s five district attorneys announced their support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in public view. Cuomo touted his proposal as a matter of racial justice, noting that police “were wasting time, resources and goodwill making tens of thousands of unnecessary arrests,” disproportionately targeting blacks and Latinos. Continue Reading
Has the war on drugs failed? That’s the question a conference that starts tonight at the Baker Institute seeks to answer. In a lecture starting at 7 pm tonight, travel writer Rick Steves will describe how Europe is fighting its… Continue Reading
The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy recently invited a number of leading thinkers — from varied sides of the political spectrum — to come to Houston for a free public symposium to consider the role of religion in our elections. Watch a video of the Jan. 25, 2012, event after the jump. Continue Reading
Last week, more than 275 students, faculty and Houston community members gathered at the Baker Institute for a moderated discussion between Rev. Wallis and Dr. Bill Martin, the institute’s Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy. The two men, both highly respected in their fields and the wider community, discussed the meaning and nature of social justice, the role of faith in public policy, and how American citizens can put pressure on the government to create change and to end poverty. Continue Reading