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http://thebilzerianreport.com/?p=353
In fact, the War on Drugs has cost the American taxpayer over $2
trillion since the 1980′s. Imagine the amount of medical care that could
have been provided to those in need for just a fraction of those funds.
The United States now has the highest incarceration rate in the world,
and that is directly attributable to the war on drugs. According to the
Bureau of Justice Statistics’ “State Court Sentencing of Convicted
Felons, 2004” report, of the 1,078,920 people convicted of felonies in
the state courts that year, 362,850 were drug offenses. More than
700,000 people are arrested for marijuana possession every year, which
is over 50 percent of all drug-related arrests.
Many of these non-violent drug offenders are raped, assaulted, and
even murdered while incarcerated. Although it is extremely difficult to
gauge prison assaults because most go unreported, it is fair to estimate
that at least half of all inmates are either assaulted or commit
assaults in prison. The Federal Bureau of Prisons estimates that between
9 and 20 percent of all prisoners have been sexually assaulted. A
Struckman-Johnson study also observed that 22 percent of male inmates
had been coerced or persuaded into some form of sexual contact in
prison.
In fact, the War on Drugs has cost the American taxpayer over $2
trillion since the 1980′s. Imagine the amount of medical care that could
have been provided to those in need for just a fraction of those funds.
The United States now has the highest incarceration rate in the world,
and that is directly attributable to the war on drugs. According to the
Bureau of Justice Statistics’ “State Court Sentencing of Convicted
Felons, 2004” report, of the 1,078,920 people convicted of felonies in
the state courts that year, 362,850 were drug offenses. More than
700,000 people are arrested for marijuana possession every year, which
is over 50 percent of all drug-related arrests.
Many of these non-violent drug offenders are raped, assaulted, and
even murdered while incarcerated. Although it is extremely difficult to
gauge prison assaults because most go unreported, it is fair to estimate
that at least half of all inmates are either assaulted or commit
assaults in prison. The Federal Bureau of Prisons estimates that between
9 and 20 percent of all prisoners have been sexually assaulted. A
Struckman-Johnson study also observed that 22 percent of male inmates
had been coerced or persuaded into some form of sexual contact in
prison.