Trump budget doubles down on the drug war
*cold clarity (Presidential pardon recipient, Joe Arpaio, infamous “Tent City” prison leader. One prior prisoner there wrote…
It demonstrates President Trump’s priorities with cold clarity.
- Restored funding to the tune of $50 million for an anti-drug media campaign, a failed initiative that was zeroed out in 2012 after studies showed that the over-the-top campaigns may have actually increased drug use.
- $43 million for expanding drug courts, a misbegotten initiative where the criminal justice system pretends to have medical expertise and punishes people suffering from drug dependency for failing to get better. There is also mounting evidence that drug courts reject evidence-based approaches to treating drug use.
- A $20 million cut in the Second Chance Act, a program aimed at helping people leaving prison reenter society.
- The DEA gets a spending increase of $400 million, despite its legacy of obstruction, thuggery, and corruption.
- Overall, an increase of $775 million for the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security for drug war efforts.
“There’s evil in the world that’s unrepentant, and I’ve experienced it firsthand. Arpaio being pardoned is a nightmare come true. Although politicians like [the current President] and Arpaio are trying to divide us, this is the time for our community to come together and keep fighting for those whose voices go unheard and kept in the dark. Hope for a better future is what helped me survive the agonizing time I spent in those horrendous facilities, and hope will lead us into a better future for America.” – Former Prisoner in “Tent City”
Original Article (Alternet & Washington Post):
Trump Budget Doubles Down on the Drug War & I Spent a Year in Joe Arpaios Tent Jail
Artwork Fair Use: Gage Skidmore