With the growth of the drug epidemic in society and placing a greater
focus on the inner city it is necessary to step back and reevaluate the
reasons and the solutions outside of mass incarceration. For many years
there has been a growing concern that the privatization of the prison
system in the 1980s created a need to fill the cells in order to generate
revenue. During this same period of time the United States under
President Ronald Reagan began the war on drugs, which ultimately
resulted in an increase in the number of people incarcerated for drug
convictions (Alexander 2012, 61). Unfortunately, the impact of the war on
drugs failed to distinguish between minor drug offenders guilty of
possession and higher-level drug dealers and distributers. As a result, the
jail terms ascribed to offenders have been disproportionate to the crime at
a great cost to states and federal government with little improvement in
the drug epidemic.
00000000000 The purpose for punishing individuals for crimes committed is
geared towards the greater good and welfare of other citizens (McQuilkin
& Copan 2014, 129). However due to the subjectivity and the element of
