Class Discussion on Global Crime

Today at USAO I learned that most crime in the United States is drug related. We discussed the topic of Global Crime in my Political Economic Systems and Theories Class, known as PEST at USAO.
This really sparked my interest because I never thought of crime in the U.S. this way. On Thursday we discussed global crime and then that night there was a marathon on TLC of the show, Police Women of Broward County. This show follows different women police officers and it demonstrates what it is like to be woman on the force. I couldn’t help but notice that every arrest made seemed to be drug related.
Did you know that the United States has more people behind bars than any other country in the world? We have about 5 percent of the world’s population and 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated population.
In class we learned the different ways countries deal with global crime. The first way is that a country can be more lenient or simply not care. Another way is to be very strict such as the United States.
No wonder prisons are overcrowded in the United States. We have the strictest drug laws and the most people locked up. This topic really caught my attention because I know nothing about drugs or the use of them.
After hearing all these facts, I wonder if the United States took more of a laid back approach to the sentencing of drug offenders. Would it continue to be as bad?
For example, when a parent is strict and has harsh punishments for their children, does it not cause children to eventually resent their parents? Making them want to rebel against their parents rules? So what if the United States makes more lenient laws against drug offenders. Would it make less demand for drugs because it would lose the thrill for some people?
I am not condoning the use of drugs or anything of that nature, but these are just thoughts that popped into my head during class discussion. That is the one great thing about college. It makes you think about problem and solution. Something that is valuable to all our futures.