Video by Independent Lens
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The 2012 documentary The House I Live In critically examines the War on Drugs, deeming it a failure that has bloated American prisons and led to an adoption of flawed policing policies. Now, Congress seems poised to seriously amend these tough federal sentencing laws that caused a huge increase in the number of Americans who are incarcerated—especially addressing the high incarceration rate of minority drug offenders. In this clip from the documentary, The Wire‘s creator, David Simon, describes how the strategies behind the War on Drugs have actually destroyed law enforcement’s power of deterrence and increased cynicism among enforcement agents.
For more information, visit the Independent Lens website. The full film can be purchased at http://www.thehouseilivein.
