War Against Drugs in America

¶ … war against drugs in America for quite some time now. The problem did not happen overnight and is not expected to be completely eradicated any time soon. As with any type of war, the core of the problem is what needs to be attack. Once this is done, then the things that are the result of the war should no longer exist. The mistake that this country has made in its effort to reduce and eliminate drug use and abuse is to go after those that are merely pawns in the whole scheme of things. They may see getting drug dealers off the street as a solution, but it is merely a temporary fix since these are not the people responsible for bringing the drugs into the country. Once they get of one group of dope dealers in a neighborhood, there will be a whole set of new pushers waiting to get out on the corner and take up the reigns. The focus should be on the prevention of the drugs entering this country. This is the heart of the drug problem and this should be the focus.

Law enforcement officials have a duty to protect this country from illegal acts such as the sale and use of illegal drugs. Although they may not be able to completely wipe away the use or sale of these drugs, they can make a big difference in curtailing it. What seems to be forefront in their minds is to impose stiff penalties on the drug pushers and users in order to discourage this type of deviant behavior. While these people should be taken off of the streets, they are almost like roaches because they continue to multiply. What needs to be taken off the streets is their source.

The majority of those behind bars for selling drugs are African-American and Hispanic males or white lower-class males. Selling illegal drugs is not considered acceptable behavior in our society and there are laws against it. These laws are written to serve as punishment for those convicted as well as to deter others. The punishment handed down usually depends on the severity of the crime, but felony suspects now plead guilty to the crime because it has meant a less severe sentence (Hemmens and Walsh, 2010). With the penalties for drug possession and sale as stiff as they are now, the thought processes for the suspected felon is they will do time, but the less time done the better. Hence, the plea bargains.

Given the increase in arrests and convictions with this type of crime, statistics have shown that minorities make up the bulk of those found guilty. The criminal justice system, many claim, is unfair to minorities. By 2004, the percentage of African-American males had reached almost 45% and this high percentage is partly due to the increase in harsh penalties for not so severe crimes (Bobo and Thompson, 2006). In other words, the punishment does not always fit the crime when it comes to the war on drugs.

This has become a social problem for not only minorities and especially African-American males, but to society as a whole. Many minorities already see themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to access to opportunities. They do not feel that opportunities to succeed are as readily available for them as they are for their white counterparts. Once they have been behinds bars and thrown back into society, they are expected to become productive citizens when most people are unwilling to give them a chance. Society answer is to throw them back behind bars for even the smallest infraction of the law. This is why examining the policies for drug crimes needs to be carefully examined. There is no one size fits all in these situations and each needs to be judge separately.

Some say that the mandatory minimum sentences for illegal drug offences is fair while critics say that these sentences are too harsh, especially for first time offenders whose crimes are of low severity. Proponents say that if the sentences are too lenient it has the effect of increasing the crime rate (Thompson, 1998). Again, each case needs to be looked at on an individual basis. The severity of the crime as well as the perpetrators past record should play a large factor in the punishment handed down. Also, rehabilitation efforts should play a factor in the sentencing. Instead of putting these individuals behind bars and forgetting about them, more funding should be used for programs that help these individuals integrate back into society successfully and become productive citizens.

The fact that minorities and those considered lower class males make up the bulk of prisoners in our system gives the impression that these people are bad and they are where they belong. What we should do is ask ourselves if we as a society are setting these young men up for failure. Society seems to ignore the fact that poor economic conditions of these disadvantaged young men sometimes leads them to a life of crime (Pettit and Western, 2004). Opportunities to improve their economic system should be made readily available as a means to combat crime.