Effects of Decriminalization

Legalizing Medical Marijuana
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/27/medical-marijuana-crime-study_n_5044397.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000010

Portugal Drug Policy
http://www.businessinsider.com/portugal-drug-policy-decriminalization-works-2012-7

      Rockefeller's attempt at hammering down on drug use and distribution shows the fear the people of the time had of the effects of drugs on society. His idea was that making people fear life in prison for their first drug offense would lower the number of drug offenses over all in New York. However we found out that this was not necessarily the case. Crime may have slowed down for a few days at best but drug distribution and use did not change much in the long run. The most that happened was that there was more people to take care of in prisons. 
      The fear of what drug addiction does to our society and our people controls what we decide to do about it. As the ideas of addiction shifted from a disease to the disease according to Kohler-Hausmann, our ideas of what to do about shifted in the same since and severity. 
       These rash decisions, while at the time seemed tough but necessary, may have been pre-mature, especially when we consider how the legalization of medical marijuana has actually lowered certain types of crime. According to a study from the University of Texas, the legalization of medical marijuana may have lowered rates of violent crimes, including homicide. The study compared states that have legalized it with states that have not and the statistics of "Part I crimes, which include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft". 
       While the evidence varied, the researches believe it shows that marijuana has lowered these rates and that alcohol actually has a stronger effect on those statistics. 
        Portugal seems to have theorized this kind of outcome long before this recent study. Portugal decriminalized all drugs in 2001. Reports have put Portugal's addiction rates are now among the lowest rates of all EU members. Once at 100,000, addictions reported are more than halved as of 2012. This doesn't mean that distribution and usage is legal however, it does let minor offenses be tried in a separate court to on a situation to situation basis. It seems to be a very liberal approach especially when compared the Rockefeller's approach in the early 70's. However, to me I see it as genius. Instead of addiction contributing to exponential growth in drug distribution and use, addicts can now seek help without fear of being imprisoned.

Week 10: Drug Decriminalization Debate

Drug Legalization: Why It Wouldn't Work in the United States

http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=533&issue_id=32005

Rick Perry and Colombian President Discuss Drug Decriminalization At Davos

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/23/rick-perry-decriminalization_n_4653567.html

The two links above are articles that tie to the criminalization of drugs, specifically in terms of justification for and arguments against it.  To be clear, decriminalizing drugs does not necessarily mean legalizing them, though legalization represents the ultimate form.

     The first article is intended to be a reference/resource for police chiefs across the country when addressing questions around legalization.  Since it is apparently assumed that most law enforcement officials, especially at the level of chief of police, are against legalization, this article has a hard slant toward this view.  However, it does mention several of the pro-legalization/anti-criminalization arguments, but only for the intent of refuting them, most of the time with unsubstantiated ‘facts’ that resonate more as constructed societal norms.

     The second article, interestingly enough, discusses Rick Perry’s (and other Republican’s) opinions around the decriminalization of drugs.  Though they are quick to state that they are not soft on crime (to maintain that particular Republican persona) and do not support legalization, they do validate the need to take a more rehabilitative approach to drug issues and less of a punitive one.

     This is interesting as the general Republican perspective toward laws that tend to make significantly more criminals, like the War-On-Drugs type that target the underclass and people of color, is to take a ‘tough’ stance, i.e. ‘zero tolerance’ or ‘three strikes, you’re out’.  Whether this is because of their ‘good Christian morals’ and/or their need to fulfill commitments made to the prison industry is up for debate, but what can’t be argued is the so-called liberal notion of decriminalization and its seeming appropriation by certain influential Republican party members.

     On the surface, arguments against legalization make sense, except when the facts are considered.  Just as Courtwrite discussed in his article section titled, “The Extent of Opiate Addiction,” there is a tendency to over exaggerate the degree of the drug problem due to different motivating factors, usually political in nature (though typically presented as a moral issue).  For example, despite the fear mongering many in politics and law enforcement proselytized prior to Colorado’s marijuana legalization, the data today shows no statistically significant increase in crime since legalization occurred.

     This debate must continue as the War on Drugs currently unfairly incarcerates many people of color and poor folk for overly long periods of time, having a significant impact on folks’ in these communities ability to be functioning members of society.  Though certainly not the only reason people of color have disproportionately more representation in prisons than their white and/or wealthy counterparts, the fact that many are imprisoned for extended periods of time for crimes such as marijuana possession is a direct result of the unfair nature of this ‘war’ and its casualties.

One Revealing Chart

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/10/war-on-drugs-prisons-infographic_n_4914884.html

A recent article from the Huffington Post examines the effect the War on Drugs has had on America's over crowded prisons. Summed up by the chart presented in the body of the article, currently 50.1% of prison inmates, as of January 25^th 2014, were serving time due to drug offenses. This article can be summed up by a simple chart, as the title of the piece alludes to, “Just How Much the War on Drugs Impacts our Overcrowded Prisons, In One Chart.” I really enjoyed this simple, yet effective, piece because it highlighted two issues within the American justice system: the War on Drugs as well as the severe rate of incarceration. Popular rhetoric attests that the rate of incarceration is growing due to an increase in crime; this article sheds light on this misguided belief. I found it very interesting that the number one drug to be incarcerated for was marijuana. With Colorado and Washington leading the way, it seems as though soon we will see the end of the prohibition on marijuana in the United States. To sum it all up – the United States' (which is leading the race of incarcerated citizens among the developed world) number one reason for imprisoning individuals relates to a substance that is considered legal in certain parts of the country. This logic is extremely flawed. If certain regions of the country can recognize a plant for its medicinal qualities, does it make sense that the justice system incarcerates individuals who use that plant at a rate higher than any other crime committed?


A concluding thought – the second leading cause of incarceration in the United States is immigration. Not murder, robbery, hate crimes, or any other atrocious crime you can think of. Keeping these statistics in mind, it is not difficult to see that the motives behind the “justice” system may not necessarily be aimed at keeping the citizens safe.

What will it take for America to turn against the War on Drugs?

21-year-old Alysa Ivy of small town Hudson, Wisconsin died of a heroin overdose last year.  With no ‘Good Samaritan’ laws in Wisconsin, her death may have been preventable if the people she was with had not been afraid of arrest and called 911.

            Alysa had no access to treatment, even though an excellent facility was very close to her home, because she and her mother were uninsured and could not afford it.  Alysa Ivy is not what most people expect when they think of a heroin overdose, not from an extremely needy family or a bad neighborhood, she had the ability to hold a job – Alysa was also white. 

According to the CDC’s Substance abuse and Mental Health Association, heroin deaths among whites aged 15-34 have increased in the last 15 years, while for Hispanic and black populations deaths have remained rather steady – no real increase or decrease per 100,000 people age 15-34. 

If more white people are now affected by American drug policies, losing family members or seeing stories like this on the news, I have to wonder – will things start to change?  Already Alysa’s death has created dialogue about a ‘Good Samaritan’ law being enacted in Wisconsin.

Our systems of governance and systems of incarceration are undoubtedly biased.  In 2010, more than half of all incarcerated people had committed a drug offence.  Of those people, half were black – even though among young people whites are more likely to use drugs.  However, Black youth are 10x more likely to be arrested for drug offences than White youth. 

As the drug use of White young people becomes more obvious, will our treatment systems change?  Will we collectively ask for treatment over incarceration?  The War on Drugs has always targeted People of Color and poor communities.  But if the wealth gap is widening and the middle-class is gone, will demands for new laws and systems become more apparent?

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/us/heroins-small-town-toll-and-a-mothers-pain.html?_r=0

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/08/drug-war-mass-incarceration_n_3034310.html

The Food Stamp President

Over thirty years after the story of Linda Taylor, the “Welfare Queen,” American citizens' continue to express disdain for public assistance program. Conservatives have given Barack Obama their own nickname, reminiscent of Taylor's, “The Food Stamp President.” According to many Republicans, President Obama has put the most people on food stamps than any other President. What the individuals accusing Obama don't realize is that one in four individuals who are eligible for food stamps does not receive them.¹ Although the percentage of adults on food stamps may have risen during Obama's term, the assistance has not gone to undeserving individuals. The United States trails behind countless developed nations on levels of poverty; if we are to address this issue we must mobilize more public assistance programs such as food stamps.

1. http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/17/news/economy/obama_food_stamps/

Housing Segregations Now

What if you could see exact data about the racial makeup of your neighborhood?  Would you be surprised by what you find? 

The Cooper Center and theirDemographics Research team created a map, using census data from 2010, including every person in the US and where they live.  The results, color-coded by self-reported racial data, are startling. 

            Take Minneapolis, the example given on the front page.  At a zoomed out range, it seems an integrated city, creating a new map color of teal.  But when you zoom close, it cam be realized just how separate neighborhoods are by race. 

            When I first saw this map, I focused on Boulder and the Denver metro area, then the small city in Illinois where I grew up.  But I encourage you to look at Chicago.  And at St. Louis, New York.  Boundaries between racialized neighborhoods are stark. 

In the St. Louis area, boundaries from large scale roads and the Mississippi river can be seen, creating a stark contrast between the Northern Metro area and the South Metro.  Can you place where Pruitt-Igoe once was on this map?

 In Chicago, there are a few very integrated neighborhoods in the city center, but the radiating effect shown on the map indicates racialized neighborhoods are still commonplace.

            What about differences between Northern states and Southern ones?  Rural areas and densely populated ones?  It is interesting what you may or may not find.

            I do offer a critique of this map.  First of all, I believe the catchall category of ‘Other Race/ Native American / Multi-racial’ should be three separate categories.  Just because the numbers in this category are small, does not mean that they hold no demographic importance and are not useful information about the current makeup of the United States.  From a visual arts background, I also have other concerns.  Certain colors have certain connotations, and using colors to correlate to race can be problematic.  I think if all warm or all cool colors were used, the map would be less othering.

Let's take it back to '89

Most of y'all prob weren't round for this, but 1989 was a crazy summer...just ask Chuck D. Do the Right Thing changed the whole game for us. The war on drugs/people of color was in full swing. As Wacquant tells us, 1989 established the first year that people of color outnumbered Whites in prison. Among all the other crazy shit went down that year, Lean on Me came out as well. I saw both these joints in the theater. They ranked as number 2 and 3 theater-going experiences of all time for me due to the crowd response (New Jack City is number 1, if you wondering). Lean on Me tells the stylized story of Joe Clark, a Black principal who takes over a "failing" Black and Brown school in the ghetto and gets the students to pass the state test (yipee!). In saving the school, Clark uses some "unconventional" techniques...and here is where this gets interesting for me. You see, Wacquant paints a straightforward picture for us of schools that look like prisons. Well, in cleaning up Eastside High School, Joe becomes very warden-like carrying around a megaphone and a bat at times. He turns mayhem and assault in the hallways to order (and heavily monitored). The students begin policing themselves. At the start of the school day, Clark locks the students in with chains on the doors. He does this, however, to keep the drug dealers out. Conversely, Clark dismantles the prison-like cages in the cafeteria, the gang tags on the walls and lockers and pushed the teachers to treat the students like human beings. This makes me ask something that harkens back to DuBois: Does it matter who is mirroring the incarceration and why they are doing it? In other words, as a student of color when I reported to high school every morning was it a significantly different experience for me to be wanded or patted down by a White man in order to keep himself safe, me monitored and in check as a opposed to a Black or Latino man or women in order to keep me, my fellow students and my community safe? I postulate it does matter...quite a bit.