What led up to the Prison Crisis?

By Calvin Wheeler

  • Nixon Declares War on Drugs

    Nixon Declares War on Drugs
    Richard Nixon declares war on drugs, making drug abuse public enemy number one.

  • Drug Enforcement Agency

    Drug Enforcement Agency
    The DEA is created which starts the crackdown on drug abuse.
  • Period: to

    How The War On Drugs Impacted The Prison Crisis

    Drug convictions went from 15 inmates per 100,000 adults in 1980 to 148 in 1996, an almost tenfold increase. More than half of America's federal inmates today are in prison on drug convictions.

  • Just Say No

    Just Say No
    Targeted towards children and young adults this campaign focused on informing the children about drugs by portraying them very badly.

  • The Signing of The ADAA

    The Signing of The ADAA
    This act creates mandatory legal penalties for various drug offenses, which contributed to racial disparity in prisons

  • Number of Illegal Drug Users

    Number of Illegal Drug Users
    The number of Illegal Drug users in the U.S raised to over 16 million