Misguided Justice

Stephanie Bush-Baskette was astonished
when she read that between 1986 and 1991, black women
experienced the greatest percentage increase of any group,
including black males, in imprisonment for drug offenses.
Not only was she stunned by the statistic, but also that the
impact of the war on drugs on black women is almost never
discussed. As a legislator, attorney, and gubernatorial
cabinet member, Bush-Baskette is familiar with the
development and implementation of public policies as well as
the enactment and application of laws. This obscure fact
concerning the status of black women in the criminal justice
system became her touchstone as she earned a doctorate in
criminal justice. In Misguided Justice, Bush-Baskette uses
her expertise in the law and the legislature to investigate
and then discuss the affect of the war on drugs on the
incarceration of black women in the federal system. She
provides an overview of what the war on drugs is; how it has
impacted women and black people in general, and then focuses
on black women specifically. She provides background and
context regarding how the laws were implemented and how they
have affected the likelihood and length of incarceration of
thousands of black women for more than two decades.