Analysis Of The War On Drugs

Alexander focuses on the War on Drugs to illustrate the drug war affects millions in today’s society. Although many will argue that the purpose of the War on Drugs is to protect society, Alexander utilizes facts and statistics to prove that this notion is false. First, the majority of those arrested are not charged with a serious offense. Alexander states, “In 2005, for example, four out of five drug arrests were for possession, and only one out of five was for sales”. This statistic illustrates that the drug war does help the nation get rid of big-time dealers. The only thing that the War on Drugs has achieved is the significant increase in the number of people incarcerated in the United States. From 1980 to 2000, the number of incarcerated individuals has increased from 300,000 to more than 2 million. Furthermore, Alexander points to the Fourth Amendment to illustrate how all
Although young black males are emerging as part of the lowest caste in the growing racial caste system in the United States, there has not been any significant wide movement to end mass incarceration. Therefore, as this novel argues that mass incarceration is metaphorically the new Jim Crow, she reaches out towards the individuals who desire to stop racial injustice from continuing. She argues that no meaningful reform, in regards to mass incarceration, can be achieved without a major social movement. Therefore, she desires to make the public aware of the current caste system that is in place, so that the current caste system can be overturned. Utilizing her knowledge and background as a civil rights lawyer, she provides readers with statistics and facts that illustrate that there is a new Jim Crow in society. Moreover, she highlights the importance of impeding another racial caste system from being formed in the