Presidents and their legacies of Incarceration
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
Presidents Day is a federal holiday created to honor the executive leaders of our country and their legacies. Part of these legacies is the maintenance and evolution of a criminal justice system based in racial hierarchy and exploitation. So which of these executive leaders wielded their power to contribute to the horrors of modern mass incarceration and the growth of the prison industrial complex?
The 1970s brought a boom in the prison population and an exponential increase in incarceration rates that would hold steady for decades to come. The growth of the prison system has historically not been a partisan issue. Politicians from both parties have used the language of crime and justice to justify an unprecedented percentage of the population placed behind bars.
President Richard Nixon began the trend that would lead the U.S. to top incarceration rates worldwide in the early 70’s. He introduced the War on Drugs, a justification for new tough on crime policies that would primarily target communities of color. Ronald Reagan carried the torch on in the 80s, doubling the prison population during his time in office.
While the Republican party initiated the rise of mass incarceration, it was democrat Bill Clinton who was responsible for the largest increases in incarceration rates in American history. In 1994 Clinton passed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which gave $30 billion to states to increase police presence and build new prisons. He also doubled the federal prison population, placing him securely at the top of the list of presidents who contributed to the growth of the prison industrial complex and its consequent horrors.
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Authored by Ella Foskett