Rafik Mohamed (center) prison population explosion in the U.S., the relatively affluent and primarily Caucasian population who made up our study’s dorm room dealers remained immune to the brunt of the war on drugs. And, in spite of their poorly concealed criminality, law enforcement was an almost nonexistent presence in these dealers’ lives. Subsequently, they were viewed by others and were able to view themselves as having committed no offense. But perhaps more importantly, and in the context of public morality, the relative immunity enjoyed by these drug dealing communities distorts the true nature of their behavior and contributes to the cumulative series of injustices and public misperception perpetrated by US failing drug policies.
well-adjusted to injustice? What cultural cues are we collectively receiving that permit us to rationalize and otherwise overlook the glaring contradiction in our public morality that we see in, for example, our drug policies? What is it that we do to convince ourselves that these immoral disparities ought to be acceptable in a free and democratic society? Over the course of the symposium, I have been all over the map in contemplating how I might conclude my small contribution to this wonderful community of scholars. I thought I had it all figured out before I arrived. After all, this is my research and I have been publicly discussing it for a year or two now. However, after visiting with all the people at this symposium, my existing conclusion just did not feel right. And then, while reviewing some scribble I made on a sheet of Prindle Institute note paper, I read the quote on the sheet’s footer. “We need an ethical perspective in all that we do.” I sat for a while contemplating this seemingly simple statement. And, I thought of Dr. Bottom’s comment that there is not any certainty in choosing among those “annoying voices” that dance around in our heads while we negotiate our personal morality. However, I have concluded that the existence of these moral ambiguities, uncertainties, and annoying voices should not serve as an excuse for avoiding ethical reflection and considering the collective “ought” as we go about making our personal choices and developing our moral codes.
CONCLUSIONS During the keynote address that kicked off the fourth annual Prindle Institute Undergraduate Ethics Symposium, Dr. Robert Bottoms referenced Cornel West’s statement that “it takes a lot of courage to interrogate yourself.” Implicit in this statement, I think, is the understanding that we might not like the answers that this interrogation yields because it might cast doubt on our perceptions of self, how we view our personal morality, and the way that we justify, excuse, or accept inequality. In the context of drug policy in particular and criminal justice practices in general, we are due for a collective interrogation of ourselves, one that asks the questions, how it is that we have become so
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