War on Drugs and Prison Overcrowding Analysis

Running Head : LEGAL ISSUES

War on Drugs and Prison Overcrowding Analysis : New Jersey

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War on Drugs and Prison Overcrowding Analysis : New Jersey

The war on drugs was initiated throughout America by federal , state and local agencies between 1984 and 1989 . In comparison to the rest of the countries , some states were not hosts of the battlegrounds in this war States in the East Coast of America such as New Jersey and New York have often been affected by the operations of Mexican drug

cartels . Apart from being used as intermediaries by producers from Colombia , they have become bases for dangerous organized crime syndicates who control the trade of illicit drugs in America

Reports from FBI indicate that Mexican cartels focus on wholesale distribution while street gangs control the retail sales . Both prison and street gangs collaborate with Mexican drug cartels to establish distribution networks which engage severally in vicious battles . Gang violence has been reported to be a thorny issue within the prison system because gang members tend to retain their memberships and identity when inside the prison (Benson Rasmussen , 1996 . Segregation of groups of gang members from the rest of the prisoners imply that gang members are imprisoned together with their friends turning prisons into institutions of higher criminal learning

Studies have revealed that there is a correlation between the issue of prison overcrowding and war on drugs . Overcrowding mainly originates from lack of enough rehabilitation programs for drug offenders and the direct effects...