Drug incarceration rates are falling, but police continue to make arrests

Despite the ongoing decriminalization of cannabis, drug arrests continue as steady as they have always been. A Pew analysis shows a deep dive into these trends, capturing data from 2009 through 2019. The study found that while incarceration rates were declining, there were still high rates of drug arrests over the years.

Pew shared some of their findings via Twitter and highlighted some key findings. “Arrests for drug possession changed little between 2009 and 2019, although arrests overall fell by over a quarter. At the same time, however, the number of arrests for drug sales/manufacturing – and the number of people admitted and imprisoned for drug offenses – fell by about a third.”

They added other key insights to the thread showing that while the police are changing, the police are still way behind.

For decades we have relied on the criminal justice system to combat drug abuse

5 decades of increased law enforcement has led to a 1,216% increase in the number of people incarcerated for drug-related offenses

Have we turned a corner since then?

Just look. https://t.co/F24vayJjP9

🧵 pic.twitter.com/YpWizZrTtW

— Pew States (@PewStates) February 15, 2022

With a few exceptions, most findings have been positive, including fewer indictments and incarceration rates versus blacks. Evolving drug laws have also reduced prison populations by 62%.

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Among the worrying findings is that drug and alcohol-related death rates in prisons increased marginally, by 5% and 3% respectively. Arrests for drug possession were flat, falling 0.4%. There is also the fact that while marijuana arrests have decreased, other drug arrests have increased, highlighting racial disparities in the types of drugs blacks and whites use and are charged with.

Photo by FatCamera/Getty Images

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To collect these findings, Pew compiled a review of national data on drug arrests and detentions, drug treatments, and more. The study concludes that “changes in drug enforcement over the past few decades, while reducing some racial disparities and reducing prison populations, have done little to mitigate the public health consequences of drug abuse.”

More needs to be done to reduce the justice system’s reliance on drug incarceration and to ensure that the law treats people fairly and equally, regardless of race or economic status.