NCJ Number
158962
Date Published
1989
Length
257 pages
Annotation
A hearing was convened in May 1989 before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs to explore drug use and associated violence in public housing developments.
Abstract
Hearing participants agreed that drugs represent a major public housing problem and that law enforcement officials do not have the manpower or resources to deal adequately with drug activities. When efforts are directed toward one public housing development, drug dealers and purchasers simply pack up and move to another area. Opening statements and testimony presented at the hearing focused on projects that have been undertaken to rid public housing developments of drug activities, the targeting of drug dealers who often do not reside in the particular public housing area where drug problems occur, public housing tenant rights, the desire of public housing residents to do something about drug dealing where they live, drug abuse prevention and treatment, and the eviction of public housing residents who sell or use drugs. Hearing witnesses included government officials and community leaders concerned about the drug problem in public housing developments. An appendix contains the prepared statements of hearing witnesses in order of appearance.