Biden expresses regret over crime laws in the 1990s

WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Joe Biden said Monday he made a mistake in supporting the tough-on-crime drug legislation of the 1980s and 1990s, expressing regret in particular over a bill that created different legal standards for powdered cocaine and street crack cocaine.

“It was a big mistake that was made,” Biden said of the measure, which was criticized as disproportionately affecting black Americans. “We were told by the experts that ‘crack you never go back,’ that the two were somehow fundamentally different. It’s not. But it’s trapped an entire generation.”

His comments come as he is in the final stages of deciding whether to run for the presidency, and assessing what hurdles he would face in an increasingly progressive party.