The war on drugs in America was declared by President Nixon in the early 1970s and subsequent American presidents have kept up this war to date (Cooper, 2015). As a result, numerous arrests have been made over time in an effort to wage war on drug use. The police have also been empowered in terms of fighting this crime through creation of a federal drug task force. There has also been increased funding on police forces tasked with fighting the war on drugs as well as increased funding to local law enforcement officers. Unfortunately, all these efforts of fighting drugs in America have resulted to an influx of people in prisons and jails. Prisons have become some of the most profitable hotspots for the sale of drugs and enhanced the business of drugs (Moore & Elkavich, 2008).
The war on drugs in America has been noted by institutions spearheading social justice as a way of the police department to discriminate against African Americans (Moore & Elkavich, 2008). There have been numerous cases where police brutality has been reported against African Americans who have been suspected of involvement in drug use or sale. In the same way, the numbers of black people incarcerated due to crimes related to drug abuse exceeds the number of white Americans incarcerated for the same crimes. While the federal police are working to fight the war on drugs, social injustice continues to grow within the society, hence creating a rift between the police and the general public (Cooper, 2015).
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The war on drugs faces certain challenges. One of these challenges is the incarceration of offenders which offers no guarantee on the change in behavior of inmates once they have served time in prison. Persons convicted of drug crimes need proper rehabilitation which will promote a change in lifestyle (Moore & Elkavich, 2008). Isolating the offenders in prisons makes them unable and unprepared to handle life after prison. During incarceration, inmates may lose their families and friends which makes integration back to the society very difficult. As a result, they may find themselves back to using drugs, which helps them to forget their predicaments and find a temporary but false hope that all is well. Employment of former inmates becomes difficult as many employers shy away from hiring convicted felons. This shows that while the war on drugs is important, alternative rehabilitative methods are required for persons whose crime involve drug use.
The war on drugs has also led to disparities within the society. Many people who are poor, financially unstable, racial minorities and socially unable to move away from neighborhoods marked as “drug areas” have often found themselves discriminated against by the police in the fight against drugs (Cooper, 2015). Such people receive unwarranted scrutiny and suspicion by police officers and end up experiencing more arrests than others Americans who live in other neighborhoods. Such disparities deepen the social injustices within communities as victims of these arrests are parents, friends, children and spouses of members within the community. Unfortunately, some of these community members do not find justice in the criminal justice system and end up serving time despite their innocence, while others lose their lives under unclear circumstances (Cooper, 2015).
The effectiveness of the criminal justice system in regards to the war on drugs appears to be on a successful path according to the police and law enforcement officers due to the number of arrests and prosecutions related to drugs that are ongoing. The society in which these criminals are produced from, have a different perspective on the success of the war against drug abuse. Suspected criminals are treated with disdain with random arrests and torture from the local police, while others are arrested and unfairly convicted of crimes they did not commit. Social justice then becomes a theoretical term to many neighborhoods, as they have not experienced the justice they deserve.
References
Cooper H. L. (2015). War on Drugs Policing and Police Brutality. Substance use & misuse, 50(8-9), 1188–1194. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826084.2015.1007669
Moore, L. D., & Elkavich, A. (2008). Who's using and who's doing time: incarceration, the war on drugs, and public health. American journal of public health, 98(5), 782–786. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2007.126284
