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Drug Policy and the Criminal Justice System

First page of PDF with filename: drugpolicy.pdf
  • Date
  • 2001

No issue has had more impact on the criminal justice system in the past two decades than national drug policy. The "war on drugs" that was declared in the early 1980s has been a primary contributor to the enormous growth of the prison system in the United States since that time and has affected all aspects of the criminal justice system. As a response to the problem of drug abuse, national drug policies have emphasized punishment over treatment and have had a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and minorities.

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EVENT RECAP

How Racism and Inequality Are Influencing the Rise of Legalized Cannabis in the United States

As the legal cannabis industry in the United States continues its explosive growth, a new documentary raises challenging but vital questions about the interaction between drug policy, racism, mass incarceration, and justice.

July 29, 2019

Ending mass incarceration

What a Soccer Star Teaches Us About Criminal Justice

Silhouetted figures in adjacent prison cells

Megan Rapinoe, co-captain of the World Cup–winning U.S. women’s soccer team, told a story about her brother’s struggles with addiction and incarceration. Here’s what we can learn from his story—and why prison breeds violence rather than making communities safer.

July 16, 2019 | Alelur Duran

Keep Families Together

We Must Not Forget the Children of the Incarcerated

Women and children standing in lines outside a prison fence.

As a new report shows, draconian anti-drug policies in Latin America don’t just harm people who use or sell substances; they harm the children and families of the incarcerated, too. Thankfully, there’s a better way.

June 19, 2019 | Estefanny Sessa

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