Final answer:
During the War on Drugs from the 1980s onwards, hundreds of thousands of people were admitted to prison for drug charges. The policies led to a disproportionate impact on African Americans and Hispanic Americans and resulted in the US having the largest prison population in the world. Recent declines in the total correctional population signal a change, although the impact of past policies remains evident.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the War on Drugs, which escalated in the 1980s under the Reagan administration and continued into the subsequent decades, the number of people admitted to prison for drug charges rose dramatically. This increase was driven by tough-on-crime policies, including mandatory minimum sentences and federal sentencing guidelines that limited judges' discretion. The enforcement of these policy measures was racially skewed, with a disproportionate impact on African Americans and Hispanic Americans. By the late 20th century, hundreds of thousands of individuals were incarcerated for drug offenses, and the total prison population in the United States had grown fourfold.
The sharp rise in the incarceration rate for drug offenses was also affected by the introduction of 'three strikes' laws and a 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between crack and cocaine offenses, which was not rectified until the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. The outcome of these policies was a significant increase in the incarceration of minorities, which led to wider social and economic consequences, including perpetuating cycles of poverty and limiting social mobility.
Efforts to reduce the U.S. incarceration rate have recently led to a decline, but the consequences of the War on Drugs continue to be felt in communities across the nation. In 2007, the total correctional population peaked, but by 2018, this number had started to decrease. However, the United States continues to have the largest prison population globally.