The War on Drugs

Paper Summary:

The paper questions the efficacy of mandatory prison terms for drug offenders and goes on to reveal that the war on drugs has failed in its goal of reducing drug use. The paper examines incarceration rates and costs in sixteen Southern U.S. states and then focuses on the social-economic cost of prison overcrowding. The paper concludes by presenting three options that can be alternatives to the failed war on drugs.

Outline:
Introduction
Incarceration Rates and Costs in 16 Southern U.S. States
Social Economic Cost
Options Do Exist

From the Paper:

"The Drug War has failed in reducing drug use which incidentally was the primary mission stated by proponents of the Drug War at its beginning. However, drug consumption has overall "...not demonstrably fallen...despite the increase in the number of drug arrests and convictions..." (Benson and Rasmussen, 1996) The work of Painter (2006) relates that the Fiscal Affairs and Government Operations Committee at the Southern Legislative Conference, Council of State Governments 2001 states that seven of the sixteen states in this conference have reported "an increase in incarcerations for drug offense while only three show a decrease in drug related incarcerations for drug offenses while only three show a decrease in drug related incarcerations." In fact, it is reported that eleven of the sixteen states in this conference "reported over 50 percent of the inmate population was black." Stated as cost per day for housing an inmate ranged from $27.50 in the state of Alabama to $63.35 in the state of North Carolina. (Painter, 2006) There has been a 210 percent increase in the incarceration rate in these 16 states since 1982 when the number of inmates was 168.378 until 2001 when the number of inmates incarcerated has risen to 523,683. Expenditures in these 16 states are stated to have increased by 121.95 percent."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Price, Byron Eugene (2006) Merchandizing Prisoners: Who Really Pays for Prison Privatization. Greenwood Publishing Group.
• Benson, Bruce L. and Rasmussen, David W. (1996) Illicit Drugs and Crime. The Independent Institute. 1 Jan 1996. Online available at: http://www.independent.org/publications/policy_reports/detail.asp?type=summary&id=2
• Painter, Murphy J. (2003) The War on Drugs And The Economics of Incarceration 1970-2001 Online available at: http://www.aspaonline.org/ethicscommunity/documents/War%20on%20Drugs%20and%20Economics.pdf

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