Running Head: ISSUES IN IMPRISONMENT SYSTEM IN THE U.

Issues in Imprisonment System in the U.S

Leonel Fournier
RWS 1301
College of Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso

Running Head: ISSUES IN IMPRISONMENT SYSTEM IN THE U.S

Abstract
This paper argues on how the imprisonment system is affecting the American communities,
criminals and taxpayers. Due to the increasing population in prisons and the conscious loss on
the war on drugs many are doubting the reasons and factors behind the imprisonment system.
As well as studying the factors involving the incarcerated it also studies the imprisonment
system and how it punishes more than correct and deter the criminals. The paper will
specifically go into the racial disparity in incarcerated between whites, Hispanics and African
Americans. As well as studying the effects incarceration has on criminals and their future it will
argue on how it affects the families of the criminals as well as their communities. The paper will
discuss how the war on drugs and its implications have greatly affected the victims of the
incarceration system. Hopefully with recognizing and understanding all the factors coming into
place we will effectively build or repair our current imprisonment system.

Running Head: ISSUES IN IMPRISONMENT SYSTEM IN THE U.S

Over the past decades the imprisonment system in the U.S has been turned from
a way of punishment for crimes and to deter others from breaking the law, to a corrupt,
unjustified way of business. There is several factors coming into place turning the
imprisonment system into a growing issue in the U.S. Several reasons within the
imprisonment system making it into a problem include; overcrowding and mass
incarceration of prisons, racial disparity in the criminal justice system, and government
funding.
During the start of the War on Drugs campaign in 1971 with President Nixon,
harsher laws started going into effect. President Nixon pushed for larger presence of
federal drug control agencies, mandatory sentencing, no-knock warrants, as well as
placing marijuana as a Schedule One drug. These factors contributed to the increase of
prisoners during the next years as well as a shift tide from decriminalizing marijuana to
parents becoming extremely concerned about marijuana use within teens. With the
initiation of Ronald Raegans presidency came a skyrocket of prisoners due to his
expansion on the war on drugs. Prisoners for non-violent drug offenses increased from
50,000 in 1980 to over 400,000 in 1997. From 1980 to 2009 the number of adult federal
and state prison inmates increased from 139 per 100,000 to 502 per 100,000 a 261
percent change. As of 2012 the U.S had the highest incarceration rate in the world with
756 per 100,000.

Running Head: ISSUES IN IMPRISONMENT SYSTEM IN THE U.S

.
Today, even though politicians are advocating for drug and imprisonment policy reforms,
no considerable changes have been made. According to A Brief History of the Drug War.
(n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2015. Progress is inevitably slow but there is
unprecedented momentum behind drug policy reform right now.
The War on Drugs brought racial disparity to the table due to the Criminal Justice
System. It has been staggering throughout the years thanks to the reforms being
passed. The system impacts disparately more the people of color though their
counterparts participate about the equal amount in illicit drug use, sale and possession.
African Americans now constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated
population.

Running Head: ISSUES IN IMPRISONMENT SYSTEM IN THE U.S

Reference Page

A Brief History of the Drug War. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2015.
Imprisonment." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. 2008.
Retrieved October 09, 2015 from Encyclopedia.com:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3045301095.htmlbnfg
Vlogbrothers. April 4, 2014. Mass incarceration in the U.S. United States:
Youtube.