Conclusion

Through the height of crime in the 1920s to the War on Drugs, vague policies made by corrupt politicians have led us to the mass incarceration problem we see today. There does seem to be some hope though. More and more prisoners wrongfully convicted are being exonerated every year at an increasing rate, although with the newly elected office, this may change. On January 17th, 2017, former President Barack Obama reduced the sentenced for hundreds of non-violent drug offenders. In his presidency alone, he reduced sentences for over 1,300 prisoners who were sentenced with the out-dated mandatory minimum laws. Hopefully the new administration, as well as future administrations will continue the efforts of the last to fix our mass incarceration problem.

I placed this short clip below to ease the tension a bit after reading this page. I would like to reiterate on my behalf that I do not think mass incarceration is a laughing matter, but you could call it a joke.

Sources

Adler, J. S. "Less Crime, More Punishment: Violence, Race, and Criminal Justice in Early Twentieth-Century America." Journal of American History 102.1 (2015): 34-46. Web.

Hinton, Elizabeth. "From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime." (2016): n. pag. Web.

Hinton, E. ""A War within Our Own Boundaries": Lyndon Johnson's Great Society and the Rise of the Carceral State." Journal of American History 102.1 (2015): 100-12. Web.

Kohler-Hausmann, J. "Guns and Butter: The Welfare State, the Carceral State, and the Politics of Exclusion in the Postwar United States." Journal of American History 102.1 (2015): 87-99. Web.

Lassiter, M. D. "Impossible Criminals: The Suburban Imperatives of America's War on Drugs." Journal of American History 102.1 (2015): 126-40. Web.

Lichtenstein, A. "Flocatex and the Fiscal Limits of Mass Incarceration: Toward a New Political Economy of the Postwar Carceral State." Journal of American History 102.1 (2015): 113-25. Web.

Mitchell,J. | TIMES STAFF WRITER. "The Raid That Still Haunts L.A." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2001. Web. 22 June 2017.

Murch, D. "Crack in Los Angeles: Crisis, Militarization, and Black Response to the Late Twentieth-Century War on Drugs." Journal of American History 102.1 (2015): 162-73. Web.

Seigel, M. "Objects of Police History." Journal of American History 102.1 (2015): 152-61. Web.