Is the War on Drugs the New Jim Crow?

During the Reagan Administration, the War on Drugs campaign was launched. The campaign included new laws which would leave little to none judicial discretion when it comes to sentencing. The War on Drugs is often seen as another way for getting minorities, mostly blacks, off the streets. Is the War on Drugs just modern day Jim Crow laws? This article will tackle the issues of the War on Drugs and show the similarities of the laws created with those of the south's Jim Crow laws.

In the post-Civil War era, there were many laws created to prevent freed slaves from enjoying their basic civil liberties, such as the right to vote. There were poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and the ability to understand clauses found in the state constitutions. When the 15^th Amendment was ratified, which prohibited the denial of voting rights based on race, the south sought out a new way to hinder blacks from voting. The southern states adopted felon disenfranchisement laws near the end of the 19^th and the beginning of the 20^th centuries. Felon disenfranchisement was the most roundabout way to keep African Americans from voting, yet it is the only one which has survived with little or no regard.

What does this have to do with the War on Drugs? Well, according to the statistics, African American men who fall into the age group of 20-29 are being locked up at a rate of one in three. This is eight times more than white Americans when it comes to drug-related crimes. Further, two-thirds of all drug offenders in the United States are not African-American, yet they account for about 80% of drug convictions. This shows there is some bias when it comes to sentencing African-Americans for drug offenses.