The war on drugs is a definition in itself. The war on drugs has been happening for many years. Programs began to help teach children of all ages how to say no to drugs. Initiatives are taken throughout the school years to continue to offer support for children. That is, until there is no funding available for the programs. Can the cuts to the programs that help young children gain the knowledge he or she will need to say no be a precursor to drug use? The answer is no, but it is a thought. The war on drugs is helping fill the prisons, which leads to overcrowding.
War on Drugs
The war on drugs begins at education. Programs like D.A.R.E. have been education children of all ages how to say no. The D.A.R.E. program makes the importance known of how and why to say no, but the children receive many different reminders. The reminders may come in a form of a notebook, pen, pencils, t-shirt, coloring book, and even a water bottle.
Once the education has been instilled upon the individual he or she has the choice of which path he or she wants to take. The paths would be that of taking drugs or not. Once the individual has chosen the path for drugs it may be hard for him or her to break it. The individual may be addicted to the drug(s) or the individual is selling drugs for money.
Many officers will go undercover to try to catch a criminal trying to buy or sell drugs. If the individual takes the bait he or she may be facing time in prison. There is a maybe in this scenario because the officers may want to catch the suspected dealer or buyer to catch the lead supplier. Big busts have been happening all over the nation. Excessive amounts of drugs like marijuana and cocaine seem to be in the news frequently. This news is for all different parts of the United States. There is not a single location where these busts are occurring. The crackdown on drugs is a huge part as to why the prisons are overcrowded.
Overcrowding in Prison
The overcrowding in prison is not only caused by the war on drugs, but it is a huge factor. Prisons are overcrowded. Some individuals are choosing a life of crime that involves drugs to some degree. Since the prisons are overcrowded inmates are being released early if he or she has demonstrated good behavior. Inmates may also be released early if there just isn’t enough room to house him or her. This is not justice. The criminal chose to commit an illegal act and he or she should have to pay for that decision. Getting a slap on the wrist is not going to teach the criminal anything except that he or she can commit the crime again.
Solutions
The first solution to the overcrowding of prisons is to have the criminals fulfill the full sentence that the judge ordered. This way the criminal does not receive a slap on the wrist and the mentality that he or she may continue with that lifestyle. The second solution for the overcrowding of the prisons is enforcing stricter punishments for the individuals who are both distributing and buying drugs. Do not make a plea bargain unless he or she can give the name(s) of the lead person in charge. The individual offering the information may receive a lighter sentence but it should still be a strict one. For instance, if an individual is busted for selling cocaine and has decided to give up the name of his or her supplier, if the information checks out then the individual may receive a sentence that is two to three years less than what was originally mentioned for a prison sentence. The third solution is to make all criminals who go to prison because of drugs proceed through a rehab program. The offender will have to stay in rehab for a period of time and then when he or she has completed the program, he or she will have to be subject to mandatory random drug testing for another period of time. If the offender does not pass the test, he or she has committed a crime so he or she will have to go back to prison.
Conclusion
The war on drugs does have an impact on the overcrowding of prisons, but it is not the only reason for it. There are opportunities available to solve the problem of overcrowding. The solutions include full sentences, harsher punishments, and mandatory rehab and drug testing. These solutions may seem far fetched for the time being, but something has to be done to prevent any further overcrowding.