The War on Drugs and the Disparity Between Races
My first infographic was designed to show the effects drug cases have on the mass incarceration problem in the United States, while also looking at the disparities between the Black Community in comparison to the rest of the population.
Timeline: 3 Weeks
The Inspiration
After being assigned to read "The Caging of America" by Adam Gopnick for inspiration, I was drawn to the part about drug reform and the War on Drugs. From there I conducted more research to narrow down the focus and decided to look at the disparity between treatment of the Black community through discriminatory federal laws, namely the Anti-Drug Act of 1986.
Main Takeaways
“The decriminalization of marijuana would help end the epidemic of imprisonment” - Gopnick, "The Caging of America"
"Minority communities... paid a disproportionate price in kids stopped and frisked, and detained..." - Gopnick, "The Caging of America"
“Reagan signs into law the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986,..its main result was to create mandatory minimum sentences. The Harsh sentences on crack cocaine use disproportionately affect African Americans” - John, The Atlantic
"In essence, Congress abandoned the idea that Federal judges -- appoint by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate -- have the wisdom and training to identify the most serious drug offenders and punish them appropriately." - Criminal Justice Policy Foundation
"Under the 1986 Act, a person caught holding a few small bags of crack rocks, even if for her own use, faced the same penalty as a major powder cocaine carrier." - England, "Crack vs. Powder Cocaine" One Drug, Two Penalties"
The Data
In order to effectively show that Drug Reform is flawed in the United States, I needed to identify data to prove it. Some of the sources of data that I looked at are shown below. These sources include The Bureau of Justice, FBI UCR, US Census Bureau, NIBRS, and Drug Policy.org,
Planning
Design Process
Here you can see the progression that the project followed from Version 1 to the Final Version. Version 1 was nearly identical to what I had envisioned during the planning stage and I was very proud of it. However, after the feedback session I knew that I needed to put a lot of extra work into my design to make it compelling. Version 2 (the middle) is where the pieces finally came together. I chose to change my bar chart to a bubble chart since it was more effective at showing the portion of drug cases each ethnicity was responsible for, while also showing the total number of cases. Using both area and color as encoding the message became clearer, and also the design suited itself better for the design overall. The time series chart stayed consistent throughout all the versions, showing the increase in inmates from 1979 to 1991, with a focus on 1986 as a turning point.
Another change that was made from Version 1 to Version 2 was the addition of the grouped bar chart. A similar visualization was a part of my plan, but in Version 1 I opted fro pie charts. After the first feedback session however, I decided that the grouped bar chart was more effective for comparing the African American population to the Caucasian population on different metrics.
A main focus from the ideation phase to the final product was to add interesting graphics which helped tell the story. That is why I created the pictogram, depicting the four drugs and their mandatory minimum sentences. Another visual element was the drawing of the scale, which was used to show how there drastically different penalties for crack cocaine and powder cocaine, which are the same drug in just different forms. Finally, I included images within the timeline since it broke up the body copy, and also helped create a better hierarchy and flow.
Reflection
- Be Open Minded to Critique: After working hours on the first version of my project, I was proud of what I had created. In the first feedback session I heard only things that needed to be fixed, and I was reluctant to listen at first. However, after stepping back and taking a look, I realized that those critiques would only improve the design.
- Pay Attention to the Details: The little stuff really does matter. It may have taken a long time to make sure everything was aligned properly, and had even spacing, but it makes a difference.
- White Space!: At first I was just focused on getting eveything on the page, but throughout the design process I came to realize it is just as important as where everything is on page as well, and this includes leaving enough space to not overcrowd the infographic.
- Look for Inspiration: When I was lost, or could not decide what direction I wanted to take, I decided to look at other infographics. This allowed me to see what I liked and what I didn't, as well as what worked and what may have not.
