After reading “The New Jim Crow”, it became clear that the government is far from an institution of peace and order with a role of serving the citizens. Paternalistic and authoritarian drug policies effectively terrorize citizens. These harsh tactics isolate drug users by reinforcing the negative implications of their actions through disproportionate sentencing, social degradation, and a felony conviction. While these threats may prevent an individual from committing the crime in the first place, punitive measures only cause more damage in the long run, sending users into a downward spiral with no hope for escape. In the United Kingdom, the Merseyside model offers an alternative to drug enforcement. It was heartening to see that law enforcement officials followed a heartening policy which sought to rehabilitate rather than punish. Could the punitive approach the United States law enforcement officials follow be a result of cultural differences or is financial gain the underlying motive?