Monika Fitts

Professor Flores

English 123

24 September 17

Literature Review

The mass incarceration epidemic in the United States is a current problem that stems back

to the mid 1950s. This literature review talks about one of the many elements that has

contributed to the perplexity of this issue in todays time. Moving forward, we will discuss how

this problem came to be and two ends to this quandary.

As mentioned before, there are many elements under the umbrella of mass incarceration

that have added to this growing problem, but we are going to focus in on the failure of the war on

drugs. Often times, when people go to war it is in hopes that they can better their way of life.

Famous wars like the Revolutionary, Vietnam and the World Wars are plastered throughout

textbooks but it is rare for the controversial topic of The War on Drugs to be discussed, why is

that? We are living in a time where instead of making reforms, people tend to be oblivious to

whats going on and hope that the problem will get better. When we visualize a war we see

uniforms, military weapons, open land, and families being torn apart. The war on drugs is an

example that wars dont have to take place in foreign places or on open land. In fact, the war on

drugs is fought daily amongst our own people specifically in poor neighborhoods. As an effect of

the war on drugs, the United States is home to 25% of the worlds prison population (Haney

Lopez 1029). People are being targeted because of the color of their skin, the government is
spending trillion of dollars in support of imprisoning people for non-violent crimes and some do

not even know what the war on drugs is, I was one of those people.

In this paragraph, all three sources will explain the relevancy of the war on drugs. In

2017, some can argue that we have made many strides towards racial equality and the

elimination of war on drugs, but California Law student, Ian Haney Lopez says otherwise. In

2008, Obama took over our country as the first African American president. While some thought

the war on drugs would supersede, others knew that wouldnt be the case. A 2009 report

breaking down the population of those who are either in prison, on parole or probation due to the

rise of incarceration rates during this war on drugs shows that there are one in eleven African

Americans, one in twenty-seven Latinos and one in forty-five whites in our highly

disproportionate system (Haney Lopez 1025). Haney Lopez discusses the war on drugs through

the lens of mass incarceration while also touching on racial politics. Haney Lopez discusses

racial politics because reports have shown that throughout history, politics have always been in

the white mans favor. It is discussed that even after you serve your sentence, you are at risk of

losing your voting rights. Think back to the slave days when African Americans were held

captive, and could not vote; dont you think that those conditions resemblance our prison

system? Haney Lopez also argues that race in the United States also functions as a form of social

stratification, meaning that the government uses racial categories to differentiate between

minorities and majorities. Throughout history there has always been a power struggle between

both parties. Finally, in the mid 1950s, people had enough of the inequality and started

protesting and rallying for peace. The civil rights movement was a very big historical event that

lead to peace for some and more violence for the rest. It is said that recently, political science and
sociology scholars have suggested that the series of tragic events occurring have originated in a

backlash to the civil rights movements.

The second source, Harvard Law Professor Carol S. Steiker agrees that although the civil

rights movement has shown to play a role in the war on drugs, it is not the primary reason. The

incarceration rate for black Americans relative to white Americans is now higher than it was

before the Civil Rights Movement (Steiker 1). After the Civil Rights movements, white people

didnt feel safe because of the false portrayals of the African American community and they

turned to the establishment of the war on drugs in hopes that it would grant African Americans

second class citizenship. These statistics prove what political and sociology scholars are saying

about the backlash originating from the Civil Rights movement. Rather than blaming racism as

the sole reason thats driving mass incarceration, Steiker let her students answer a variety of

questions addressing this phenomenon. It is inferred that the alterations in Americas

incarceration rates have relatively shifted and history is repeating itself. Whether the shift has

occurred because of global warming, economic difficulties, medical diagnostics, scholars are not

sure, but all six scholars can agree that these historical shifts are all momentous and slightly

disastrous. Through the analysiss of Steikers students, their feedback explained that even highly

educated people have their own viewpoints on the war on drugs and its contributing factors.

While politics and multiple viewpoints may have proven the pertinence of this widespread

problem, 2017 reports from the Prison Policy initiative show that the United States incarceration

rate is five times more than other countries (Rauby and Wagner). This mass incarceration

epidemic shows that prior to incarceration, the average median income for a person who is in jail

is $15,109 and the typical bail bond is $10,000. With that being said, people are less than likely

to scrape up a big chunk of money at the drop of a dime. According to Bernadette Rauby a senior
Prison Policy Initiative analyst and Daniel Koph an economics reporter, both have joined teams

and proved that over population in our prison systems are leading to an endless cycle of jail time

and poverty. Whether or not a persons bond is more or less than $10,000, the system is set up

so that it fails, the ability to pay a bond is impossible for many, especially minorities living

below the poverty line before incarceration (Rauby and Koph 1).

To fully in indulge your mind on the failure of the war on drugs, it is crucial to

understand the history, the events, and the hard times that have lead us to the problem that we are

confronting today. As mentioned before, Ian Haney Lopez believes that the War on Drugs

originated in a backlash of the civil rights movement. New York Times Bestselling author,

Michelle Alexander agrees. According to Alexander, the war on drugs was first announced by

President Nixon and later reinforced by President Reagan in the 1980s. Following the

announcement of the war on drugs, the Reagan administration hired staff to publicize the

negative effects of drugs in an attempt to build public support for the war. Mind you, this war

began before drugs, specifically crack-cocaine, became a problem in poor neighborhoods. The

brainwashing technique that the administration used, was all a part of a political scheme known

as the southern strategy. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, The Nixon and Reagan

campaign had two enemies during this time, the antiwar left and African Americans. It has been

said that the government cannot make it illegal to be black, so they decided to paint a picture of

minorities that identified them as targets. As an effect of the war, the size and presence of drug

control agencies have increased, mandatory minimum sentences have been created and

legislation made it legal to search without warrants. In addition to these sources, Philanthropist,

James Kilgore discussed that during the up rise of this war, Law enforcers took advantage of

their ability to lock people up and since then, America has gone stir crazy. In addition to what the
Prison policy initiative has said about the governments contribution, Kilgore proves that as the

prison population increases, so does the amount of money that the government funds to keep the

previously noted 25% of the worlds population behind bars. According to Elevationshealth, a

website solely focused on reformations within society, discusses that $80 billion dollars has been

spent each year on incarcerating American prisoners. Dating back to the 1970s, the government

has spent nearly 1 trillion dollars towards enforcing this proclaimed public enemy.

The great Grace Speare once said, "Welcome every problem as an opportunity. Each

moment is the great challenge, the best thing that ever happened to you. The more difficult the

problem, the greater the challenge in working it out." This quote is acknowledged because the

problem of the war on drugs is an opportunity to correct this failed system. The next paragraphs

will introduce you to two different solutions to the problem discussed throughout the paragraphs.

While recognizing that the war on drugs didnt pop up overnight, it is guaranteed that this

epidemic will not be solved overnight. One solution to an end to this problem is through a social

movement, In which society will have to join together and embark on a journey amongst

activists and rally and/or reach out to congress whether it be with a call or a letter in hopes that it

will attract their attention. According to one of Steikers students, Professor Seidman argues that

there is a cycle of crime and punishment in the black community that is an overwhelming evil.

Together we must reevaluate our structure and work towards revolutionizing our countrys forms

of punishment. In previous paragraphs, The Civil Rights Movement has been discussed. The

importance of this movement compares and contrasts the power of coming together as one

standing up for your beliefs. During the 1950s segregation was legal. After people joined

together against segregation and discrimination, laws were passed that restricted segregation

from existing. With the use of technology and the media, it should not be hard for activists to
educate themselves, assemble rallies and reach out to members of congress in hopes that it will

change current laws and end the war on drugs.

Another solution to this problem, that I believe will show the most change amongst our

society is to use the money that is being spent on funding our prisons and change the way

minorities and poor neighborhoods are perceived. According to Kayla Martensen, the war on

drugs put poor uneducated, African Americans under radar. By revolutionizing whats foreseen

as a poor neighborhood. According to Traci Burch, a Northwestern University scholar, the war

on drugs has contributed to an increase in crime in troubled neighborhoods, poor family

structures, fewer struggling families, higher employment rates and a less crowded prison system

(Burch 717).

In conclusion to this problem addressed in the first paragraph of this review, the United

States should resist the urge to let history repeat itself. Back in the 1970s when the war on drugs

emerged, law enforcers did all that they could to get a person, specifically a minority behind

bars. It is a fact that the stereotypes that were painted of African Americans have shown an

impact on incarceration rates back then and still continue to do so. This review also addresses the

abundance of money the government spends funding this war and the effect of overpopulation in

our prison system In an attempt to achieve equality amongst the citizens of the United States

and move forward with reforms, we must raise awareness, talk to government officials and use

some of the 80 billion dollars that is allocated to the war on drugs to be proactive in our society

against this war.

Proverbs 22:2 Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.
 Works Cited

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Health, Elevations Health, 29 Nov. 2016, elevationshealth.com/annual-cost-war-on-

drugs/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2017

Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow : Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.

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Sept. 2017.

Burch, Traci. Review of Imprisoning Communities: How Mass Incarceration Makes

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2017.

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