Utah's Enhanced Drug Penalty Zone Law: A Location-Based Deterrent?

The Utah House of Representatives Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee reviewed and debated the Enhanced Drug Penalty Zone Law during the 2006 legislative session. The law proposed to extend buffer zones to 1,000 feet around places where children tend to congregate. Any drug-related crimes committed in these areas would be subjected to enhanced penalties. The effectiveness of the law in achieving its original intent—to keep drug dealers away from children—was in question.

The State of Utah’s Automated Geographic Reference Center (AGRC) was asked to present a visual representation of these zones in several different municipalities. The four cities that were chosen represented different types of communities in Utah, from a small rural town to a large urban city. The maps were designed to provide a visual definition of the zones so everyone might have the same frame of reference.

Courtesy of State of Utah, Automated Geographic Reference Center.