Discussion - The war on drugs now reaches beyond

6-1 Discussion: Make Your Case

The ACLU report, Caught in the Net: The Impact of Drug Policies on Women and Families, states:

"The war on drugs now reaches beyond those using or addicted to drugs, targeting individuals unwittingly, unknowingly, or peripherally involved in drug related activity. This widening of the net has had the effect of capturing more women, particularly women in relationships (some of which are abusive) with partners or family members who use or sell drugs, as well as women who turn to the drug trade to supplement their income in order to support their families in the absence of living wage jobs and in the face of cuts to public assistance."

Take a position. Do you believe that sentencing reforms are needed to reduce the number of women in prison?

First, title your post either "Sentencing reforms are needed to reduce the number of women in prison" or "Sentencing reforms are not needed to reduce the number of women in prison."

Then, use the information gained in this module and additional resources as needed to make your case. Be sure to build your case with factual resources. Consider the following questions as you make your case:

• In what ways have sentencing structures contributed to the increase of women in prison?
• What factors contribute to women being impacted by drug policies? Should reforms be made to reduce the impact that these factors have on the sentencing of women?
• What is meant by the phrase "equality with a vengeance"? In what ways does this support the need to incarcerate women? In what ways does it point to a need to reform sentencing for women?

References

American Civil Liberties Union. (March 15, 2005). Caught in the net: The impact of drug policies on women and families. Retrieved from https://www.aclu.org/caught-net-impact-drug-policies-women-and-families