"Meth: The Prison Pipeline" is the result of a years-long investigation that explores the shocking disparity of methamphetamine sentencing — and why it's so prevalent in D-FW

DALLAS, Dec. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Dallas Morning News has released its compelling three-part series: "Meth: The Prison Pipeline."

As the nation grapples with the devastating opioid epidemic, few realize that the harshest punishments for drug trafficking are actually reserved for methamphetamine (meth) — a stimulant causing fewer deaths and hospitalizations than fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid at the center of the current crisis.

For the series, The News reporter Kevin Krause has engaged in a years-long investigation of hundreds of North Texas meth cases — including the review of thousands of pages of sentencing transcripts and attendance at numerous hearings in Dallas and Fort Worth. Data journalist José Luis Adriano has also downloaded and analyzed more than 670,000 crimes from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. What Krause and Adriano ultimately uncovered is that sentences for meth are much more severe than for deadlier drugs like fentanyl.

They also found that nowhere are meth sentences longer than right here in the federal court district that serves the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The median meth sentence in the Northern District of Texas, which includes Dallas, from October 2013 to September 2023 was slightly more than 10 years. The national median sentence during that time was six years. Meth sentences here are often stiffer than those imposed on violent criminals. First-time, non-violent offenders can be sentenced to decades in prison for selling meth — with no chance for parole — and it's costing taxpayers as much as $1.4 billion annually.

"Meth: The Prison Pipeline" exposes these growing sentencing disparities among federal judicial districts and the impact of unreformed meth laws — originally established as a consequence of 1980s and '90s tough-on-crime policies.

This series builds on The News' rich legacy of delivering impactful and relevant journalism. It will be available online from December 3-5 and in print from December 8-10. Readers can access the full series anytime at dallasnews.com/methpipeline.

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