The prisons and the Criminal Justice Systems in America have experienced a substantial pressure from the war on drugs (Walker 267). This is because of arresting numerous Americans for some drug related offenses every year. Individuals convicted of possession, use, and distributions of illegal drugs are the primary cause of the outstanding increase in the population of prisoners. The research has shown that the percentage of individuals convicted of drug related crimes exceeds that of those individuals convicted of other offenses (Walker 263). This discussion will consider the African Americans, which are the population that the war on drugs affects most of all, as well as the reasons why this population has been mostly affected.
The war on drugs targets the African Americans more than it does to other racial and ethnic groups because of various reasons. In America, crack cocaine is common among African Americans, while powdered cocaine is common among the whites (Walker 268). As a result, the maximum sentence for the possession of five grams of powdered cocaine is one year, while the minimum sentence for the possession of the same quantity of crack cocaine is five years. Another reason why African Americans have been mostly affected is due to the racial profiling, which targets this population for the stops and searches that the police conducts. Finally, drug dealing among the African American community has a more likelihood of being out in the open air than is the case with the whites. Whites conceal drug dealing in suburbs and go undetected. Therefore, the Criminal Justice System can easily detect drug dealings among the poor African American community (Walker 268).
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In conclusion, the war on drugs exerts more pressure on the African American community than it does on the whites (Walker 263). This is apparent because the percentage of African American individuals behind bars exceeds that of the whites. In addition, African American offenders experience harsh punishments, which is not the case with the whites (Walker 267).