Synthesis Essay: Why The Criminal Justice System Gets a Bad Rep

               The field of criminal justice consists of a wide ranging and diverse group of professions with one common goal; to serve and protect the United States at home and abroad to make it a better, safer place. However, the general public sometimes does not appreciate all the work that they do, and may not realize what society would be like if they did not put as much time and dedication into their work as they do. Of course, they have their shortcomings. However, many of the problems that the criminal justice system has goes much higher than police officers or correctional officers. They are just the ones doing their jobs. Throughout each step of the criminal justice system, there are misconceptions about law enforcement, the corrections, and the court system that are unfair to the hard working men and women. I am here to come to their defense and explain why for the vast majority of the time, it is not their fault.                                                                                                                                                      

d         

              Think about everything you have heard on the news about law enforcement in the past year or so. How much of it has been positive? Not much if we are being honest. The majority of the media has been focusing about the negative stories that have to do with law enforcement, while skating over anything that has portrayed police officers or other law enforcement. For instance, many news networks jumped to conclusions about the Mike Brown shooting before the actual investigation came out with all the factual evidence, from the Department of Justice. If you want to read more about the Mike Brown investigation you can read about it here in the blog titled "Contemplating Controversy". However, even after the findings were made public, the damage had been done on the law enforcement community. People labeled them as corrupt and in some cases racist because of what they saw on the news. While yes, there are problems with law enforcement and corruption/ discrimination (see A&E's Cartel Land), officers have so much more responsibility in their community than arresting people. They are trained to save lives (recognizing significance) and interact with the community.

i

v   Video credit: breaking911video

       

      While there are some bad apples, the vast majority of the bad reputation of law enforcement comes from mainstream media blowing things out of proportion. 

         

             In the past thirty years or so, the US and state court systems have been notorious for giving long sentencing and harsh parole conditions to non violent offenders. Some people think it is race based, or a generation of judges and prosecutors that are out to put anyone and everyone behind bars for as long as possible so they "learn their lesson". However the problem lies much higher on the political food chain than the people that work in the court room. The root of this issue lies on Capitol Hill and all of the respective state governments. In the documentary The House I Live in, they interview all cogs in the criminal justice machine, such as police officers, judges, corrections officers, convicts and drug dealers, and doctors and professors that study criminology. At the end of the day, the reason there are so many people behind bars for so long is because of money. There are private contractors that build their own private prisons to profit, which puts pressure on law makers to ensure that those are filled as quickly and for as long as possible. So while a select few make millions of dollars, millions will have their lives ruined by long sentences for non violent crimes. Even after they get out, they have to pay probation fines while looking for a job and a place to stay, ultimately getting them sent back to prison.

Image Credit: PBS

One may make the argument that just because there is a law, that doesn't mean that the justice system has to enforce it. However, they have a duty to carry out those laws and often there are mandatory minimum sentences that are in the law that the justice system has to carry out. The blame for this injustice are the men and women in law making and the industrial giants that profit off incarceration in America. The corrections officers for the most part do their best to treat the inmates with respect, and there are many programs in prison to help educate inmates in the classrooms and in trade studies such as carpentry and metal work. While the conditions in the prison can be less than ideal (The Farm: Inside Angola Prison), that is a budget issue that also goes back to the politicians. 

  

       As far as the due process and trial goes, the United States has one of the best systems in the world. Innocent until proven guilty has been the standard for all democracies since the US brought it about in the 1700s. All people arrested have the right to remain silent to avoid self incrimination, a right to an attorney for free, a right to know all the evidence the state has against them, and a right to a fair and speedy trial judged by ones peers. It gives the defendant a fair shot against the law and if there is any "reasonable doubt" that the defendant did not do it, they walk free. Yes, there are some guilty people that go free, and every once in a blue moon there is an innocent person that is imprisoned, which is horrible. However, technology keeps advancing to make forensics more accurate, and as I said before, its the best system out there.

       Today in America, the criminal justice system is the subject of constant scrutiny in all aspects of their work, while the population is increasingly hostile towards them (open post #6) they continue to work hard everyday to keep America safe. They don't work because they want to make a lot of money or work good hours, because for the most part neither of those things are true. They work in the field of criminal justice because they want to make a positive mark on their community and be remembered for all the good that they did. No the system is not perfect, in fact it is far from it. However the blame for their short comings can be found in bad laws and budgets, or the media showing them in a negative light. However, no matter what people say, CJ workers go and make the world a better place every day without any thank you. So to everyone who works in law enforcement, the court system, and corrections, thank you.

       I hope you all enjoyed my posts, and whether you agreed, disagreed, or just didn't care, I appreciate you taking the time to read it. 

All the Best,

Sean

     

     

     

     

c

Open Post #10: Better Call Saul

       The famous crime/action drama tv series "Breaking Bad" reached its five season conclusion in 2012, leaving the audience in awe of how good it was throughout its longevity and wanting more of the unique characters and its drug filled plot. Vince Gilligan, the creator, obliged, and in early 2015 the first season of "Better Call Saul" aired on AMC. It is a prequel to Breaking Bad, starring lawyer Saul Goodman. However before Saul was helping Walt and Jesse with their meth troubles, he was Jimmy McGill, whose office was at the back of a nail salon with an online law degree from University of American Samoa. For visual reference, here is Jimmy:

Image Credit: Nerdist

       A small time defense lawyer, Jimmy is having serious money troubles doing honest business until he finds a massive fraud scheme in a retirement home while doing wills for old people. His rise to a prominent position in a classy law firm isn't without the help of the parking booth worker, Mike.

Image Credit: Suprisingly Competent Media

       With the help of Mike, Jimmy does some dirty deals to jumpstart his practice to try to impress his brother, Chuck, who is a partner at a prestigious law firm. As Jimmy rises the ranks of his new firm, he gets deeper entrenched with the wrong crowd, and must soon make a decision on what path he wants to take.

       As a huge fan of Breaking Bad, I was ecstatic to see another show pop up to fill in the intriguing story of Jimmy McGill/ Saul Goodman unfold in central New Mexico. The show itself has great characters because they are so unique and all have very normal lives. What makes the show so great is because all of the characters are believable, and do normal everyday things. The path Jimmy takes is really cool to see because you already know where he is eventually because of Breaking Bad. But how he gets there is why people keep tuning in. The show is currently halfway through its second season and is going strong. For anyone interested in drug trade, law, subtle humor throughout shows and an overall excellent plot I recommend the show highly. However even though this takes place before Breaking Bad, it is very important that you watch that first. There is serious foreshadowing and even clips of what happens to some characters after the conclusion of Breaking Bad. If you guys watch the show or what to and have questions, feel free to ask them in the comments. Thanks!

       

Prompted Post #10: Recognizing Truth

       Now before everyone dismisses this because they think this blog is going to be very one sided, let me say some things first:

1) This video does in no way shape or form condone the actions of the few officers who have abused their power and physically harmed a civilian. Those officers do not represent the law enforcement community and should be punished

2) These statistics were put together by the United States government so I will trust that they are unbiased to any political agenda.

3) There are problems in law enforcement that have to be addressed. More background and psychological evaluations should be done to make sure everyone wearing the uniform is fit for everyday duty.

       Now that we got those unpleasant notes out of the way, lets analyze the video. It is in response to all the media attention law enforcement is getting after the deaths of unarmed civilians. With all the coverage that was condemning law enforcement and their tactics in general, people seemed to misconstrue how many people were the victims of excessive force by police.

       However, when you look at it statistically, the media seemed to blow the severity of the problem out of proportion causing an unreasonable amount of animosity towards law enforcement. Don't get me wrong, the incidents were horrible, but at that rate of interactions with police: valid harassment claims (0.0039%), you can blame that on a few bad apples in a field of good people. What do you guys think? Was I biased or did my argument make sense? Let me know.

Open Post #9: Dogs!

       Dogs are a huge part of American society, and everyone knows someone who has a dog or has one or two or twelve of their own. However these dogs are much different than your average house dog. These bomb sniffing dogs are the most intelligent and important soldiers fighting on the front lines in the middle east and at home.  There were a couple of things that stood out to me.



1) How you can take dogs anywhere. Whether it be sky diving, fast roping from a helicopter, or anything in between, the dog will go with its soldier wherever.

2) How they are groomed from birth to become these types of bomb sniffing dogs. There are only a few places in the United States that breeds these types of dogs and from a couple months to two years old before they are deployed. They way these dogs pick up how to ignore outside distractions and focus on sniffing out the bomb is unbelievable.

3) It's cool to see that dogs get the same medical treatment as soldiers because they are just as valuable.



       I think the point of the clip was to show that dogs are just as important, if not more important, than human soldiers. They show the same emotion and loyalty to their handlers as a soldier would to someone in his squad. Pretty cool stuff.

Prompted Post #9: Recognizing Significance

       Now when most people think of police officers and what they do, it usually consists of:

Image Credit: todayifoundout

     Or when they're not stuffing their face maybe this:

Image Credit: Humboldt County News

        However contrary to what a large proportion of media tells the country, law enforcement also has a large part in protecting the common population and even saving lives. An article from the Athens Banner-Herald in Georgia where the state University resides tells us about how police officers are now some of the first responders to drug overdoses. Patrol units are called when there is a reported overdose to administer a drug called naxolone which reverses the side effects of a drug overdose of heroin or other prescription medications. You may say this is part of their job, but these officers are going the extra mile.

"Officers do not get any extra pay for undergoing naloxone training. They do it to make a difference.

‘Local police should be commended for initiating this program and we are already seeing positive outcomes,’ Horst said.

Athens-Clarke County Senior Police Officer Scott Blair said he volunteered for the naloxone program because he had personally seen an increase in the frequency with which police respond to drug overdoses.

‘I wanted to have more medical training because it’s frustrating when you arrive on a scene and aren’t able to do anything to help in certain situations,’ Blair said."

       Its nice to see law enforcement making a positive difference in their communities besides putting dangerous people in jail. What do you think? should states make this mandatory for all departments to go through this training? Let me know.

Open Post #8: Counter Terrorism Training for Law Enforcement

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark -- Law enforcement from across the county learning to fight terrorism in Central Arkansas.

With guns drawn, officers move in and fire at suspects held up on the side of a building.

While the sounds of gunfire were real, the bullets were plastic capsules filled with laundry detergent.

Richard Mason of Direct Action Resource Center said the scene is part of 'Law Enforcement Counter terrorism Training.'

"Multi cell terrorist attack is what we are trying to simulate," said Mason.

Mason oversee's the mock drills.He said many of those with badges are from Texas, who could not reveal their identity due to the type of work they do.

But the people playing the bad guys, like Brian Blackwood and Steven Yingling, are volunteers.

"I came out and was recruited with by a fellow co-worker who said this is really an opportunity to come out and do something fun," said Blackwood.

They even received a survival lesson.

"I think there is an element of preparation that you get from being out here," said Blackwood. "Figuring out rooms and figuring geometry. If somebody is going to approach me, what is my best cover and concealment. "

"I've been on the military side and I understand the importance of this training. This training wasn't available when I was being sent overseas and had it been, I think it would have changed a lot of things for me," said Yingling.

Mason said the crew started on Sunday, working as a team, and more than 100 hours learning how to better flush out the enemy during a terrorist attack.

"I've been doing this for 20 years, so obviously I enjoy it," said Mason. "The end product and seeing what happens with the officers and military personnel and even some of the civilians that go through our open enrollment classes ... it's really rewarding."

Mason said his goal is for officers who take the training course, to share the knowledge with their fellow law enforcement department.

Image credit: onepagenews.com

     This story from arkansasmatters.com may not seem like a huge deal, but in this day and age with ISIS responsible for two major terrorist attacks in the past few months, it has given some US citizens an uneasy feeling. It is only a matter of time before ISIS tries something in the states, and what Richard Mason is doing will help us be prepared if that dark day ever comes.

       I could understand some people saying that they don't want law enforcement running around with assault rifles and body armor in their neighborhoods. However, in the event of a terrorist attack in the United States, local law enforcement will be the first responders to the incident and will need to be properly trained to handle the situation as best as possible. While the attack itself is unlikely with the stringent immigration policies and no fly lists, it is always possible that a domestic terrorist group could carry the act out. So it gives me a little comfort that law enforcement at home is training and bettering themselves for a possible attack.

       

Prompted Post #8: Practicing Your Knowledge

 There is a very necessary part of law enforcement that may not be the most glamorous, but can save lives. I am talking about shooting a gun. As a young child I always thought it would be cool to carry one around like an old western movie and get the bad guy, but as I got older I started to realize how dangerous they are. It is a huge responsibility to carry a weapon, and one who does should be properly trained to handle and fire a weapon responsibly. I went home one weekend and went to a shooting range close to my house, Midwest Gun Range in Brookfield, Illinois. There I learned the basics to handling and firing a handgun. I shot a Beretta 92fs 9mm handgun which is standard caliber for law enforcement. Here are some things I learned:

1) Handguns are much heavier than I thought. After three or four shots I took my arms started to get a little tired. So what ever you see in movies or tv where they're really accurate with multiple shots is a myth. The trigger is also not as sensitive as one would think. You really need to pull down hard to fire the weapon.
2) Guns are much louder than I thought. If I hadn't been wearing ear protection I don't think I would have been able to hear the gun fire after about three shots.
3) Shooting is very relaxing. I felt at ease and it was a nice way to vent frustrations.

Image Credit: http://www.gotammo.com

       Overall shooting a gun isn't something you can learn in a college class and its textbook. While I'm sure there are programs through classes that would allow you to do something like this, knowing how to maintain and shoot a gun is very important in the field of law enforcement.

Open Post #7: ADX Florence: The Federal Government's "Supermax" Prison

      In the middle of Colorado, there is a facility in the Rocky Mountains that houses the most dangerous criminals the United States and other countries have to offer. The inmates are terrorists, both foreign and domestic, violent gang leaders,  and prisoners that are too dangerous or pose a threat to national security. They are in solitary confinement twenty three hours a day, with the other hour in recreation with three armed guards to one prisoner. CNN was able to get a very rare tour of the twenty two year old facility, making a brief video and article you can see here.

Image credit: archdaily.com

       It is one of the most secure facilities in the world, it is also quite controversial in their use of solitary confinement for their supermax prisoners. It has been the subject of investigations and potential lawsuits after many prisoners have hung themselves. For most of the supermax population, this eighty four square foot box they live in will be their home for the rest of their life. They can't see the sky outside, have no idea where they are in the prison, and have no contact with the outside world. Is it too harsh for the worlds dangerous criminals? Or is it justified for the thousands of deaths these men have brought upon to the United States. Not all of these men are of the terrorist/mobster/traitor variety. Some of these men have been convicted or murder or armed robbery, and have been sent to normal maximum or minimum security prisons. However in these prisons these men have either murdered or escaped, and now are locked up at the highest levels to avoid those incidents again. 

       One of the most interesting features of the prison that I found amazing was the walls are soundproof, so the inmates cannot yell or use morse code to communicate at all. If any facilities are really escape-proof, this would be it. There are twelve sniper towers, attack dogs, hundreds of guards and cameras, and a twelve foot fence complete with razor wire. When the inmates are out of their cell, they are chained at the ankles, wrist, and belly..

       The downside to ADX Florence is the cost. It costs three times as much as a normal maximum security prison to run each year, with less inmates and less guards. Is it worth the cost to keep these dangerous men so confined? Let me know what you think.

All information was taken from the CNN article linked above.

Prompted Post #7: Contemplating Controversy

       On August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, Officer Darren Wilson responded to a call for a robbery of a convince store. After driving around, he saw the two men, Michael Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson. He blocked the two men with his squad car, and an altercation ensued. When all the dust had settled, Brown was dead due to multiple gunshot wounds. What happened in that altercation, however, has sparked a serious controversy across the nation, and protests turned riots in the St. Louis area. We are here to review the facts that the Department of Justice has compiled from the investigation. You can find the complete report here, but I will do my best to give you the important details.

The people involved:

       There were three people in this incident, however the two we will focus on will be the officer and the deceased. First off, Officer Darren Wilson, a 28 year old police officer who had been in that profession for five years. This is him:

Image credit: www.thefederalistpapers.org

       Next, we have Michael Brown, an 18 year old man from Ferguson, MO. He was shot to death by Wilson after robbing a convince store. This is him:

Image Credit: Dailymail.com

Officer Wilson's Statement and others 

       Now since the victim is deceased, this is the only primary witness the DOJ has. Other people have alleged eye witness accounts, however, Wilson was obviously there. The DOJ report says that after Wilson stopped them, he tried to get out of the car but Brown slammed the door shut, keeping Wilson in the car. After screaming profanities at Wilson, he claims that Brown leaned into the squad car and assaulted Wilson, hitting him in the face. Wilson then managed to get off two shots, neither hitting Brown. Brown then ran from the car, Wilson in pursuit. Brown then stopped, about twenty to thirty feet from Wilson. He was "enraged and crazy" and started to charge Wilson, reaching for his waistband. Wilson, thinking it was a weapon, discharged his gun, making Brown stagger, but continue towards Wilson. Wilson continued to fire until his last shot went through Brown's head, just a few feet from Wilson.

       There were many witnesses to this incident, some disputing what Wilson said, some confirming. All agreed that Brown attacked Wilson inside his car, but where the story differs is whether or not he charged Wilson or put his hands up in surrender. Some said he initially did, then charged Wilson. The majority said that Brown had charged Wilson and did not stop even after Wilson fired his weapon, hitting Brown.

Forensics

       Forensics back up Wilson's claim, finding gunshot residue and muzzle burns on Brown's hands, which would imply that he was wrestling for the gun. There was also a blood trail in the direction of Wilson, which would imply that Brown was in fact charging Wilson while Wilson was firing.

Conclusion

       The court system found Wilson's actions defensible, however there is a wrongful death civil law suit still pending. What do you think? Please be rational and level headed. No need for this to become an argument. 

Open Post #6: Police Officer deaths on the Rise

       I recently read an article in the Washington Post on the skyrocket in the murders of police officers that were fatally shot in 2016. The death toll is already up to sixteen as of April 1st, compared to the seven deaths at the same time last year. This increase in gun violence just adds strain and tension between law enforcement and the community. 

Image Credit: Carrara

       This is most likely the result of the backlash from the recent deaths of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner, and Freddie Gray over the past few years. While these deaths have been controversial and have sparked violent riots in the aftermath, police officers all around the country have had to pay for the mistakes of a few. Now, I'm not here to state my opinion on each of these shootings, because it's not the place to do it. However I am here to talk about why these police killings will only make matters worse.

       There is no denying that there have been some bad apples in the law enforcement profession. In their case, they need to be punished justly and removed from their profession. However, to label a whole field of hard working dedicated officers around the country that risk their lives as corrupt or racist is preposterous. For every one corrupt police officer there are thousands that do their jobs to be best of their ability each day to make the neighborhoods you and I live in a safer place. And these retaliation killings of good officers will only widen the gap in-between law enforcement and their constituents. There are proper ways to respond to a situation like Eric Garner, such as peaceful protests and pushing for legislation for body cameras or more government oversight. Riots and murders, however, are not doing any good for anybody. 
       This country has bigger problems to deal with abroad, and fighting amongst ourselves will only hinder our progress as a country.

Prompted Post #5: Observing Community

       I went to a meeting of the  NABCJ, or the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice. There was a special guest speaker from Social Services who talked about what she did in her line of work. I learned about the meeting via email from my academic advisor for Criminal Justice.

Image Credit: Twitter

       I did no know what to expect from the meeting at first, partly because I had never been to a college organization's meeting. I also did not know what to expect because since it was a meeting based around African Americans in Criminal Justice, and wasn't sure what the dynamic of the meeting would be. When I got to the meeting, everyone was very nice to me and welcomed me even though I wasn't a member of the group.
       I really don't know of any stereotypes associated with the club itself, but obviously the subject of race and criminal justice has been a sensitive subject since the 1960s. However it was great to hear about my field of work from another prospective. To be able to understand situations based in different points of view is very helpful in the field of criminal justice and law enforcement.

Open Post #5: Coast Guard Seizes One Billion Dollars Worth of Cocaine!

LA Times- The U.S. Coast Guard dropped off more than $1 billion in cocaine in San Diego on Monday that was seized in one of the most successful seasons of patrolling off the Central and Southern American coasts, authorities said.

The cargo: more than 66,000-pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $1.01 billion, the Coast Guard said. It was the biggest single offload of narcotics in Coast Guard history and the result of 23 separate confrontations with drug smugglers in the Pacific, officials said.

“There is still work to be done,” Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a statement. “We must increase already hard-earned momentum to curb the rising tide of crime, violence and instability in our hemisphere.”

For the current fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, the Coast Guard has seized more than 119,000 pounds of cocaine worth more than $1.8 billion and apprehended more than 215 alleged smugglers. That amounts to more than the previous three years’ total combined and the most in a single year since 2009, officials said.

Monday’s offload included bales of cocaine seized in two interdictions in June and July, Coast Guard officials said.

On July 18, the crew aboard the 418-foot Coast Guard cutter Stratton seized more than six tons of cocaine worth an estimated $181 million from a partially submerged vessel in the Pacific Ocean, the agency said last week.

The bust occurred in international waters 200 miles off the coast of Central America, after a Navy maritime patrol aircraft spotted the vessel and alerted the Alameda-based crew, which was patrolling the area, Petty Officer Michael Anderson said.

Video of the confrontation shows armed Coast Guard crew members opening the vessel’s top — the craft is floating at the surface — and demanding its crew to climb out.

“Afuera! Afuera!” a Coast Guard crew member yelled.

One by one, the four men in the vessel climbed out. They were taken into custody and will be prosecuted by the U.S. attorney’s office, officials said. A list of charges was not immediately available.

Inside the vessel was 16,000 pounds of cocaine in hundreds of bails and bricks, Anderson said.

The smuggling vessels act like low-tech submarines, which are mostly submerged with only a cockpit and an exhaust pipe above the surface. They’re extremely difficult to detect and dangerous to operate, Coast Guard officials say.

In June, they stopped another partially submerged vessel carrying 5,460 pounds of cocaine.

There have been 25 known semi-submersible interdictions in the eastern Pacific since 2006. The patrols are a joint effort between the Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy and cooperating governments in Central America, officials said.

       Unfortunately there are not any pictures that capture the sheer mass of all the cocaine seized at once, however just a couple of quick thoughts.

       First, Great job by the Coast Guard on taking this down. This is definitely a drug bust to write home about. Not a bad day at work when you snag enough coke to make Tony Montana weak at the knees (sorry if you didn't catch that Scarface reference).

       Secondly, What happens to all of those drugs? I'm assuming there are warehouses across America where they keep these things but that is a lot of drugs to be keeping in once place. I would be a little nervous transporting a billion dollars worth of drugs. 

       Lastly, on a more serious note, this type of bust is just a small dent in the drugs imported into the USA every year. For every billion seized I'm sure another ten billion get through no problem. The United States has a serious drug problem that cannot be solved with just busting transports at docks. What they have to do to keep drugs out, no one knows.

Prompted Post #6: The House I Live In

       As you may have been able to tell by two of my previous blogs, I enjoy watching CJ documentaries. Not only are the interesting and relevant, but they also give my an excuse to sit in my bed and watch Netflix for two hours and call it "homework". With that being said I find these documentaries insightful to the future application of my education as a CJ major. The topic I'm writing about (yes its supposed to be for next week but oh well) is to find something that makes an argument about your field. Whether it be a book, scholarly article, or documentary, find something that brings up something about your field and see what they have to say. The House I Live in, produced, directed, and featured in by Eugene Jarecki, makes one of the biggest and controversial arguments in the American Criminal Justice System today: the War on Drugs has been a huge failure. They in fact say it has done more harm than good, destroying communities while the drug trade is as strong as it was forty years ago when it was created. And I agree with them, it has been a failure.

Image Credit: Philks.com

       With that big of a statement, you have to have some proof to back it up. Well, here it is. Jarecki interviewed almost everyone connected to drugs in America. Narcotics officers, normal police officers, corrections officers, prominent members of the media, doctors, professors, judges, and even (alleged) drug dealers, past and present. They all say pretty much the same thing. The war on drugs cannot be won, and it often does more harm than help in the long run. But at one time, the American people thought it was a wonderful idea. And the idea itself is good, to get rid of drugs in America. That's what Richard Nixon thought, and in 1971 he officially coined the term "War on drugs". The 1960s was a time of radical change, with civil rights, Vietnam, and the rebellion of a whole generation who were labeled as "pot smoking hippies". Human nature and society is reactive, not proactive, so naturally the American people wanted to get some law and order. Enter Nixon condemning drugs as the "primary enemy of the USA". It at first was good, primarily because the majority of the money was going towards rehabilitation, not law enforcement. Drugs were on the decline at the turn of the decade, enter Ronald Reagan. Reagan was seen as very tough on crime, and with the mass hysteria of the new dangerous drug crack cocaine (cocaine heated up with baking soda and water), he approved Congress' new mandatory sentencing laws involving drugs. Here is the root problem to the war.

       Law enforcement was arresting non violent drug offenders and putting them away for decades purely because the law said they had to. This caused a severe spike in incarceration, specifically for blacks in the 1980s due to crack. Soon after in the 1990s when methamphetamines became the new crack, whites saw an equal boom in their prison population. The vast majority of these being lower class males who either lost their jobs or grew up in a place where jobs were almost nonexistent. 45 million arrests and one trillion dollars later, there has been no change.

       So if it isn't working, why keep pouring time, money, and lives into a war that cannot be won? This problem is bigger than law enforcement arresting everyone with weed in their pocket, it goes higher up to Washington. Both sides of politics, liberal and conservative, have supported this war for decades because there is money to be made somewhere. Private prisons have popped up all over, offering jobs to the town it resides in and money for everyone. However in order for their to be money, there needs to be bodies in the cells. It creates an irrational demand for prisoners, continuing the vicious cycle. Someone grows up in a bad neighborhood without good influences and then they get into drugs. They have kids along the way. And when they get caught, they go to prison for decades, leaving their kids without parents. Rinse and repeat.

Image Credit: Illinois Times

       Overall I thought that the argument presented worked because it had primary accounts from both sides of the "war on drugs". And both the enforcement side and the drug side said that it doesn't work, and only leads to distrust between law enforcement and their communities. Hopefully legislation can work towards putting money in the community to prevent drug use, not just for putting the drug users away. And in no way shape or form do I think violent drug offenders should get this treatment. I am very okay with locking them up for good. It was a great documentary and I recommend it to everyone in America, because we are all in this war in some way.

All facts and statistics were taken from "The House I Live In"