Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs

In this chapter, Hari visits one of the most notorious prisons in the US to explore how drug offenders are treated by the justice system under drug prohibition laws. Located in Arizona, this prison is known as Tent City. He describes witnessing the all-female chain gang being forced to chant in unison while wearing T-shirts with the words “I WAS A DRUG ADDICT” or “METH ADDICT” printed on them. This unique prison and form of punishment is the brainchild of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio worked for Harry Anslinger as an agent in the Bureau of Narcotics decades earlier and now speaks of much he admires him. Hari explains that “to [Arpaio], Anslinger was a hero, a role model, the man who started it all” (105). Tent city is an outdoor facility in the Arizona heat—not because Maricopa County lacks funds but by design. Hari points out that a properly built, air-conditioned prison is nearby, but Arpaio had it converted into an animal shelter.

When Hari speaks to an Arizona prisoner’s rights activist, he learns of a case in which a female inmate was cooked in a cage in one of the state’s prisons.