The ongoing war on drugs in the US has been criticized as some of the most
expensive and ineffective policies to have ever shaped the society. It causes
disproportionate incarceration of blacks, Hispanics, and minorities, overcrowds
prisoners, results in extended jailing expenditures, and does not seem to have any
effect on drug-related crimes (Michelle, 2012). Moreover, it often serves as a gateway
to becoming full-fledged criminals, as individuals whose lives are ruined by prolonged
incarceration have difficulty reintegrating into the society (Michelle, 2012).
i i i i i i i i i i While the US justice system has been primarily geared towards punishment and
retribution, its paradigm is what the US stands for as a Christian nation. McQuilkin
and Copan (2013) discuss that, in accordance with the example set by Jesus Christ,
the society should not shun people but reintegrate them. Let him who is without sin
cast the first stone, the saying goes. As such, incarceration for minor crimes like drug
possession is disproportionate punishment, akin to stoning a person for adultery.
i i i i i i i i i i There are ways to deal with individuals found guilty of drug possession and
other minor crimes that do not have to involve incarceration and jail time. The first
solution is decriminalization of drugs altogether, but that solution comes with various
pitfalls (Koh, Kerlikowske and Botticelli, 2018). A simpler and much cheaper measure
is to sentence guilty individuals to paid public labor (Koh, Kerlikowske and Botticelli,
2018). Not only will it allow people to acquire basic skills and help better the society, it
will also provide them with some money to help start their lives anew. Finally, in the
case with clinically addicted individuals, forced rehabilitation would be a preferable
alternative to imprisonment (Koh, Kerlikowske and Botticelli, 2018). War on drugs
needs to end, as it has long since become a war on the US citizens, especially the
minorities.
References
Michelle, Alexander
. The New Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of
colorblindness.
The New Press, 2012.
Koh, Howard K., R. Gil Kerlikowske, and Michael P. Botticelli. "A smarter war on drugs."
JAMA
320, no. 22 (2018): 2301-2302.
McQuilkin, Robertson, and Paul Copan.
An introduction to biblical ethics: Walking in
the way of wisdom
. InterVarsity Press, 2013.
