War on Drugs and Human Rights

Description

Richard Nixon declared a War on Drugs in 1971 and dramatically increased the size and presence of federal drug control agencies. The 1980s saw a 126% increase in arrests for drug offenses. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, drug related prison population among African-Americans has increase by 27%, Latinos by 7%, and Caucasians by 15%. This episode examines the impact of the "Drug War" on the rights of individuals, minorities, and the judicial system. President Clinton's "Drug Czar," General Barry McCaffrey, discusses his views on drug policy and the state of the drug war. Also, an interview with the publisher of Prison Life magazine - a former drug pusher and undercover DEA agent, now an advocate for prisoners convicted in the "War of Drugs".

Runtime

25 min

Series

Subjects

Geography

Genre

Date of Publication

[2013], c1996

Database

Films on Demand

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