Essay - Analysis of the War on Drugs and Prison Overcrowding Introduction...

ANALYSIS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS AND PRISON OVERCROWDING

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The work of Byron Eugene Price entitled: "Merchandizing Prisoners" relates that the Justice Department in 1992 "under ***** watch of the Bush administration, released a position paper entitled 'The Case for More Incarceration' which argued that prison was cheaper than the alternatives, and violent crimes had been declining since the government began locking people up in prison." (2006) Due ***** expansion ***** state correctional budgets "...the efficacy of mandatory prison terms for drug offenders is being questioned." (*****, *****) Presently, the United States "has the highest incarceration rate in the western world. It is four times ***** of ***** United Kingdom and France on a per capita basis."(Painter, 2006) In fact, "the number of people in *****, jail or on probati***** in the U.S. has ********** threefold between 1980 and 2000, to more than six million and the number of people in prison ********** from 319,598 to over two million by 2001." (Painter, 2006) The private prison corporations are "...a multibillion dollar industry" and as well "other companies reap hundred ***** millions of ********** annually by providing health care, phones, food, and other services ***** ***** facilities." (Painter, *****) ***** states that the resistance "to rethinking the War on Drugs..." are contained within two primary factors: (1) money; ***** (2) jobs. Painter states that a state brochure on prisons in Florida ********** estimates that "a prison with 1158 beds is worth $*****5 million a year and 350 jobs to a community. Never mind ***** the drug laws there fill pr*****ons with non***** *****." (2006)

I. INCARCERATION RATES AND COSTS IN 16 SOUTHERN U.S. STATES

The Drug ***** has failed in reducing drug use ***** incidentally ***** 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 ***** number of drug arrests and convictions..." (Benson ***** Rasmussen, 1996) The ***** of Pa*****ter (2006) relates that the Fiscal Affairs and Government O*****ations Committee at the Southern Legislative Conference, Council ***** State Governments ***** states ***** seven of the sixteen ***** in this conference have reported "an increase in incarcerations for drug offense while only three show a decrease in drug related incarcerations ***** drug offenses while only three show a decre*****se in drug related *****." In fact, it is reported that eleven of the sixteen states in ***** conference "***** over 50 percent of the inmate population was black." Stated as cost per day for housing ***** ***** ranged from $27.50 in the state of Alabama to $63.35 in the state of North Carolina. (Painter, *****) There has been a 210 percent incre*****se in the incarceration ***** in these 16 ***** s*****ce 1982 when the number ***** inmates ***** *****8.378 until 2001 ***** the ***** of ***** incarcerated ***** risen to 523,683. Expend*****ures in *****se 16 states are ***** to ***** ********** by 121.95 *****.

*****. SOCIAL ECONOMIC COST

***** ***** in Drugs is quite simply "...big business