Just Cause or Just Because? Prosecution and Plea-Bargaining Resulting in Prison Sentences on Low-Level Drug Charges in California and Arizona

Arizona and California have passed ballot initiatives that were expected to divert minor, nonviolent drug offenders from incarceration to treatment. But what are the characteristics of imprisoned low-level drug offenders? Did the quantity or type of drug involved influence the prosecution pattern, and were there differences across racial groups in the prosecution of low-level drug offenders? This study is intended to fill those knowledge gaps.