One factor contributing to the continuous growth of substance abusers in the prison population is drug misuse and addiction. The majority of inmates incarcerated have used illegal drugs on a regular basis (at least once a week for a period of one month) and have been incarcerated for selling or possessing drugs; driving under the influence of alcohol; committed crimes under the influence of drugs or alcohol; committed their crimes to get money for drugs; have a history of substance abuse; or share a combination of these characteristics (CASAColumbia, 1998). Another factor is the war on drugs and mandatory minimum sentences. In an attempt to reduce drug abuse and drug dealing, the U.S. has pursued punitive drug control policies to threaten arrest and incarceration. Mandatory minimums at the state and federal levels lead to individuals being sent to prison for possession of relatively small amounts of illegal substances (Taylor, Hallam & Allen, 2009).
Women are most vulnerable to different forms of discrimination, including sexual harassment or abuse. Women that do not fit the “norm”, such as lesbians, face increased risk of torture and abuse. Racism and economic discrimination are totally linked to sexism in our culture, creating severe inequalities in the court system and the prison system. For example, black women are twice as likely to be convicted of killing their abusive husbands than are white women, and black women receive longer jail time and higher fines than do to white women for the same crimes. Stiffer punishment for crack cocaine use also has landed more black women in prison, and for longer sentences than white women (and men).
In addition, gangs increasingly are smuggling large quantities of heroin, cocaine, and MDMA (also known as ecstasy) into the United States. Local street gangs in rural, suburban, and urban areas transport drugs within very specific areas, most of what seem to be low socio-economical areas. Some gangs collect millions of dollars per month selling illegal drugs, trafficking weapons, operating prostitutions rings, and selling stolen property. Gangs launder their proceeds by investing in real estate, recording studios, motor cycle shops, and construction companies. The extent of gangs/drugs A proliferation in gangs will also mean a growth in drug and violence in our community’s and threatening society in general.
Racial Profiling Racism unfortunately has been a huge part of our nations history, and racial profiling stems from this racist history. “Racial profiling is the police practice of focusing on members of particular race groups for extra surveillance. The most common example of racial profiling is traffic stops of young, Black men, and it appears to be most commonly employed as a drug-trafficking interdiction strategy” (Glaser 2006, 396). Some law enforcement claim that racial profiling serves a legitimate purpose in protecting security, but in my opinion all it does is cause an unproportional amount of minorities; mainly Black males, to be incarcerated. Racial profiling does exist, and I believe is quite prevalent, whether it’s a Black male being pulled over for no apparent reason, or someone of Middle-Eastern descent being “randomly” checked at an airport, racial profiling is definitely used.
The debate on drug courts therapy is a main problem with politics with race, poverty, and drug cities (p.417). According to (Miller, 2009, p. 417) “Between 1986 and 1991, the number of white drug offenders in state prisons increased by 110 percent, but the number of black drug offenders rose by 465 percent”. Drug courts were ultimately used for overloaded court cases resulting in congested prisons (p.417). Programs were developed because of drug arrests and offenses that introduced drug courts (p.417). The role of the drug courts is to deter drug offenders and abusers from incarceration and into treatment programs (p.417).
High Crime in Urban Areas Travis E. Heath SOC 305 Crime & Society Timothy Knox 5 November 2012 Abstract Crime and our criminal justice system affect everyone in the United States in one way or another, weather you are a criminal or the victim. Impoverished urban areas with a large minority population are disproportionally impacted. Through my research I discovered that a higher number of violent and drug related crime occur in theses areas. I also found that studies show that people within minority groups are more likely to suffer hasher punishment for similar crimes committed by non-minority groups. In this research paper I will analyze the break down the officially recognized races in the US, crimes specifically relate to these urban areas that are not present in more rural and suburban areas, finally how are crimes handled both at the judicial and executive levels in poverty-stricken communities as opposed to upper class communities.
Drug Trafficking in the United States ENG 122 August 1st, 2012 Drug trafficking in the United States is a very big problem and will always continue to be a problem. There are so many different routes that drug trafficker’s use in the United States but the route that this paper will explain is the Florida/Kentucky pipeline. The Kentucky/Florida pipeline is a route that drug traffickers use to bring pain pills from Florida into Kentucky for street distribution and for trade. Kentucky is a state that is known for the consumption of pain pills, therefore this pipeline has become one of the biggest routes. It was stated: “Local law enforcement and drug-policy officials estimate that 60 percent of Kentucky’s illicit pills come from
There are many cause of disparity in the criminal justice system such as legislative decisions, higher crime rates, and inequitable resources. The examples of disparity in legislative decisions the federal, state, and local have created laws that have disproportionate affect the minority community, which should have been seen beforehand. By increasing sentences for the of sale drugs, mainly crack cocaine, the weight
Many drug users are arrested for possession of Marijuana every day. It has been a problem that Marijuana is the most common drug that is used in the streets. Also numerous addicts are arrested for different drugs such as heroin or crack cocaine or many times, are under the influence of alcohol. Somehow, the issue on legalizing Marijuana is that anti Marijuana users think that if Marijuana is legalized, crime on the streets would be much higher. For instance, Pot heads (Marijuana users) get busted for minor crimes such as illegal possession of Marijuana.
Why are prisons bursting at the seams? According to Joe Romaine of the International Business Times, it is because of America’s “insane drug laws,” which are doing more harm than good (Romaine). Many people may argue that drug offenders are getting what’s coming to them— they broke the law, and therefore it is part of their consequence to suffer through the overcrowded “cruel and unusual” incarceration. Individuals who argue this point are mistaken because although criminals should indeed receive punishment for their actions, there comes a time when a line of propriety is crossed. The ‘war on drugs’ has become a harsh and unnecessary measure that frankly costs American taxpayers far too much money.