I will be doing my capstone project on the subject of drug addiction & mass incarceration. Specifically, I will demonstrate that current policies in the U.S., such as mandatory minimum sentencing, result in disproportionate incarceration for nonviolent, drug-related crimes. Furthermore, the reasoning for these policies is at odds with the scientific reality of drug addiction. In short, the political powers that be hope to “solve” the drug problem in the U.S. by locking away “immoral” or “hopeless” persons that just can’t seem to stay away from illegal narcotics. The evidence shows, however, that for a majority of addicts relapse is almost guaranteed without some combination of therapy, medication, or a change of environment. This is due to major changes to the brain’s physiology and function that impair an addict’s ability to make reasoned decisions regarding risk versus reward.
To illustrate these points, I will create an infographic that will showcase statistics about the number of U.S. citizens incarcerated for nonviolent drug-related offenses, the economic and social costs related to their incarceration, and the effectiveness of incarceration versus treatment in reducing the prevalence of drug addiction in the population. I will also create a remixed video that will incorporate infographic elements, brain scan data, and interviews with professionals in order to summarize the case for defining drug addiction as a chronic, relapsing brain disease. In conjunction, these two pieces will (hopefully) convince their audience that the United States’ criminal justice system is badly in need of reform in regards to drug offenses.
#Addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease that responds to treatment, not jail time. #CriminalJusticeReform
— Jake Pennington (@jacobpenningwsu) March 31, 2016
#Addiction is not a choice, or a moral failure. It is a physiological consequence. Stop blaming and start helping. #Treatment
— Jake Pennington (@jacobpenningwsu) March 31, 2016
Every $1 spent on #addiction #treatment saves up to $12 in societal costs.
(National Institute on Drug Abuse)— Jake Pennington (@jacobpenningwsu) March 31, 2016
Mandatory minimum sentences are the problem, not the solution. #CriminalJusticeReform
— Jake Pennington (@jacobpenningwsu) March 31, 2016
The U.S. government needs to spend less money on the #WarOnDrugs and more money on #treatment centers and #scientificresearch.
— Jake Pennington (@jacobpenningwsu) March 31, 2016