Began by Richard Nixon in 1967 and kicked into high gear by Ronald Reagan during the 1980's. It instituted mandatory sentencing for drug offenders. Since, our prison population has increased by 113%, creating an overpopulation problem. What are the reasons for the “War on Drugs”? And what effects has it had on the American prison system and society?
We began the “War on Drugs” with the intention of ending harmful drug use. One of the main tools used in fighting the “War on Drugs” is the use of mandatory sentencing that forces judges to give a minimum number of years of incarceration to drug offenders. Someone caught with a small amount of marijuana may be sentenced to 3 years in prison. Politicians pass these laws to show they are tough on crime, although most drug offenders are non-violent addicts. According to Franklin Zimring, a criminologist at the University of California Berkley, who states “with the power of release taken away from parole authorities, and judge's discretion removed, it was left to the legislatures to set sentencing policy”. They have been passing stricter drug laws ever since, the rational being that if jail time is involved people won't use drugs. Religion also plays a part in our “War on Drugs”. Drug use is considered immoral by most religions. We are preached to on Sundays about the harm to our souls by using drugs, which creates a mind set that if you're using drugs you are doing something wrong. This leads to people voting for legislators that are tough on drugs. These beliefs have had huge ramifications on the prison system and society.
According to the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice statistics, between 1985 and 1995 over 80% of the increase in the Federal Prison population was due to drug convictions. In 2002 they concluded that that it constituted 55% of the population, making it the largest group of prisoners. Murphy J. Painter, in her paper “The Economics of Incarceration 1970-2001” says “Americans will spend nearly 40 billion on prisons and jails in the year 2000. Almost 24 billion of that will go to incarcerate 1.2 million non-violent drug offenders”. The Social Justice News, April 2003, says “on average it costs $20,000 per year to maintain one prisoner, $100,000 to build a single cell, and $20,000 per year to staff a prison cell”. This comes at a high cost to tax payers, considering that it has done little to stop the problem. Since 1973 the crime rate has decreased only 6% and violent crimes are up 24%. In Lisa M. Hammond's paper she goes on to say “from 1987 to 1995 general fund expenditures for prisoners throughout the country increased by 30%, while general fund expenditures for universities decreased by 18%”.
Money is being used to house non-violent prisoners, which need treatment instead of punishment, which could be used for more constructive purposes. She continues” public policy leaders fail to recognize alcoholism and addiction for what they are, chronic illnesses”. The United States spent 5.5 billion on prevention, treatment, and research in 1995 compared to the 22 billion we spent on incarcerating drug offenders. This seems disproportionate to the real needs of society. The Prison Index: Taking the Pulse of the Crime Control Industry (2003) by Peter Wagner, found that 52% of people polled believe that drug use should be treated as a disease, not a crime. The “War on Drugs” is currently costing more than we spend on the Commerce, Interior, and State Departments combined. It makes a good topic for politicians to get elected, but is doing nothing to solve the core reasons that cause drug addictions. The cost to taxpayers is high, but the cost to society is higher. The higher cost to society is that the “War on Drugs” has created a black market for drug sales. It is a $100 billion dollar a year industry that is unregulated and untaxed. It has fueled street gangs whose main source of income is illegal drug sales. Most gang
wars are a result of gangs fighting over drug selling territory, leading to the deaths of innocent bystanders by drive by killings, or someone being mistaken for a rival gang member. Many drug dealers however are white middle class citizens that sell out of their own homes to friends. While the kids are outside playing, mom and dad are in their bedroom weighing out ¼, and ½ ounces of marijuana. They to are the criminal element the “War on Drugs” is aimed at. As Miss Hammond states in her paper “many prisoners leave family, friends, employers, and communities to struggle with incarceration”. These are ordinary people with a drug addiction, or a need for supplemental income, that are no danger to society. They are more victims of the system, not criminals.
The “War on Drugs” has not been a success. It is costing taxpayers billions of dollars in the incarceration of prisoners, and police funding. It is overcrowding our prisons with non-violent citizens, wasting police resources, and has created black market for drug sales. Americas real drug problem before the “War on Drugs” was a lack of education on the dangers of habitual drug use, not drug use itself.
