- Michelle Alexander argues that the common idea that the War on Drugs was started to deal with the crack cocaine crisis is not true. She says President Reagan announced the war before crack became a big problem. Instead, crack was used later to get support for the war. The media made a big deal about crack, showing negative images of black people, which made people support the war more. People in poor black areas even thought the government was trying to hurt them on purpose by bringing drugs into their neighborhoods. This theory seemed crazy at first, but when the CIA admitted in 1998 that they helped smuggle drugs into the U.S., it made people think twice. This suggests the government might have had other reasons for starting the War on Drugs.
- Racial disparities in who gets put in jail for drug crimes can’t just be explained by how many people of different races actually commit drug crimes. Studies show that people of all races use drugs at similar rates. But black and brown people are much more likely to be arrested and jailed for drug offenses than white people. For example, in some states, black men are put in prison for drug charges at much higher rates than white men. This suggests that something else, like bias in the justice system, is causing these unfair differences.
- The American prison system is now locking up more people than any other country in the world. This has never happened before. And it’s not just about punishing criminals. It’s also about controlling certain groups of people, especially black and brown communities. By putting so many people in prison, especially from these communities, the system keeps them down and keeps them from having the same opportunities as others. This helps maintain the existing power structures where certain groups are more privileged than others.
2 thoughts on “David Salazar – Mass Incarceration and Politics”
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Hello David!!! l wrote similar response to this as well, l couldn’t agree more with all your response to each question. Also I couldn’t agreed more how much the American penal system act is a tool to control minorities and keeps them from having the same opportunities as others.
Hi David, Especially Alexander’s historical background and the evidence of racial discrimination in arrests and imprisonment indicate that the War on Drugs has not just addressed drug-related problems but has also served as a means for social control and the maintenance of power structures. Quite similar to what u have brought up here 🙂