Prisons and the War on Drugs discusses drug abuse as a social problem and examines the consequences of relying on punishment and incarceration to solve drug abuse issues. It prompts the reader to consider the differences between a culture's norms and criminal infractions, how some behaviors come to be defined as criminal, and whether incarceration is justified given the seriousness of drug abuse problems. The document analyzes sociological factors contributing to criminalization and challenges the reliance on imprisonment as a solution to drug abuse.