The Justice Imperative

How Hyper-Incarceration Has Hijacked The American Dream

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The Justice Imperative: The War on Drugs.

October 12, 2014 By Jeff Grant, Online Editor Leave a Comment

The Justice Imperative: The War on Drugs.

As documented in Michelle Alexander’s groundbreaking book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” the war on drugs has been waged over the past four decades with equal vigor by both Democratic and Republican   administrations. Such war was accompanied by stricter sentencing policies (e.g., three-strikes laws, truth in sentencing and mandatory minimums) and less use of probation and parole. The war has vaulted the United States to a unique place among nations in the world.

Between 1980 and 2000, the number of people incarcerated either in prison or jail in the U.S. rose almost seven hundred percent from 300,000 to over 2 million. By 2008, more than 7 million Americans (1 out of every 31 adults) were estimated to be behind bars, on probation or on parole. In 2008, one in every 48 working-age men was in prison or jail, compared with 1 in 153 in 1960 and 1 in 156 in 1980. This explosion in the number of prisoners is attributed in major part to the war on drugs and the resulting surge in drug convictions. Drug and related offenses account for the majority of the increased prison population. The irony is that the war on drugs took root at a time when illegal drug use in the U.S. was actually on the decline.

See More: Please go to Chapter One, Executive Summary in “The Justice Imperative”              www.TheJusticeImperative.org

 

Filed Under: excerpt Tagged With: executive summary, mass incarceration, new jim crow

About Jeff Grant, Online Editor

Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div. prisonist.org
jgrant@prisonist.org
(o) 203-769-1096 (m) 203-339-5887
P.O. Box 1232, Weston, CT 06883

Jeff is the Minister/Director of the Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse and Children Project in Greenwich, Connecticut. He is engaging in new forms of prison ministries providing religious & spiritual support and giving voice to people affected by inner city, white-collar and nonviolent incarceration issues and their loved ones - before, during and upon reentry from prison.

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March 26, 2015 Legislative Breakfast Old Judiciary Room State Capitol Hartford CT Remarks on The Justice Imperative

Len Fasono (R) Representing the 34th Senate District in the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut Senate Minority … [Read More...]

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Governor Malloy’s office invited Malta Justice Initiative to a ceremonial signing of the Second Chance Act

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