History The need for prison-based addiction treatment is intense. In the most recent data from the Department of Justice in 2002, it was found that 68 percent of offenders reported symptoms of addiction in the year before their admission to jail that met addiction criteria. 16 percent of convicted offenders report they have committed their offense in order to get money for drugs. 63 percent of offenders who met addiction criteria had participated in some form of treatment in the past (James & Karberg, 2005). Because convicted offenders tend to be locked up for longer periods than jail offenders, treatment possibilities in a prison setting are more far-reaching.
With the higher rates of incarceration, many children are faced with these problems. Many children feel that they are facing these problems alone when in fact there are many who devote their lives to helping them and making sure that they succeed. While parents are incarcerated, children are affected by many things. These things can cause short and long term affects on their life. Some of the major effects that are seen on children is the economic decline,…………… The majority of the time when a parent is in prison, it is the father.
The DP is used so that criminals do not have to suffer this humiliation for the rest of their lives. Prisoners live in a constant struggle to survive their suffering of being raped and facing violence in their prison cell. Comparing to a terrorist such as Osama Bin Laden, which choice would he rather pick: to live a life full of humiliation until they die or being “martyred” by the capital punishment? It’s society’s role to punish these convicts, but not to torture them as these actions dehumanizes who they are. The role of the prison is to contain criminals, not to torture or humiliate them.
Punishing criminals by putting them in a correctional facility such as prisons can be successful in repenting the criminal as they would reflect on their own actions, allowing the guilt to make them better people, probably even seeing their own faults through other prisoners. Prisons give criminals a chance to rehabilitate themselves by using the facilities there present such as the counseling and seminars given. The fact that prisons house a lot of criminals that associate with each other has created a “criminal community”, an atmosphere where crime inhibits; therefore criminals can only aid each other out to become better “crims”, learning the tricks of the trade as well as toughening each other up through the highly abusive nature of the criminals there. Health wise, prisons can highly be dangerous and lethal to the prisoners; such diseases as AIDS from homosexual relationships and drug use is prevalent, as well as male rape, and even female rape, even some become mentally insane. In general however, prisons aren’t a nice place to be.
The fight for survival in correctional facilities and prisons within the United States has created subcultures that breed racism, hate, and natural occurring violence. As inmates are moving in and out of facilities, and are forced back into society to adapt on their own, they soon realize that who they were in jail, is who they can not be once they 're released. According to Hanser (pg. 204), the prison economy is one of the key measures of influence that an inmate may have within inmate population. When being in jail/prison, one should first understand that making enemies is one thing they would want to avoid, or else they possibly would be fearing death.
Watching a family member or loved one struggle with addiction can be very difficult, however watching that same person spend the majority of their life in and out of prison because of their addiction can be heart breaking and tragic for both them and all connected to them. Recidivism, the return rate to prison with or with out a new criminal charge or conviction, is highly impacted by drug and alcohol addiction and the crimes associated with it. Some points to consider might also be, the lack of effective treatment while incarcerated and upon release, being paroled to the original environment, and over coming the stigmatism held by the parole officer, society, and the parolees that they have little chance to recover and become productive members of society. Attending recovery classes while incarcerated is limited and generally looked upon as an escape from a prison cell. Most inmates use recovery programs while incarcerated as a distractio... ... middle of paper ... ...rime adds to the ever-enclosing dark cloud that can surround one who is struggling with addiction and past behaviors.
Siegel (2017) mentions that young men and women with a long history of drug abuse and criminal behavior and who have an antisocial personality with childhood dysfunctions are more likely to fall back into their old criminal habits and end up reincarcerated. Along the same lines, those who are released from prison that do not have a stable family life, for example a good marriage, tend to have a harder time adapting back into the community. Economic problems persist with ex-inmates as well. Ex-inmates will have a harder time finding work because by law, ex-convicts are denied the right to work in certain occupations such as childcare, education, security, nursing, and home health care. More jobs are
Families also have household responsibilities that are ongoing once the inmate returns from incarceration. Inmates often feel like they are burdens to their families so, they try to find other ways establish themselves back into the community. History According to Friedmann (2014), there are currently 2.2 million people held in prisons and jails in the United States. An estimated 95% of prisoners currently in custody will one day be released.
Why are formerly incarcerated individuals still being treated as incarcerated individuals instead of normal everyday citizens? Two thirds of released prisoners end up returning to jail within a year to three years. Mainly because they weren’t given the tools or programs to return to society when they were released. They are constantly discriminated against when it comes to obtaining a job whether it be because of selection, transformation, or credentials. This leads to them returning to a life of crime, which they were living before.
Inside Story of the Prison System We are all accustomed to believing that prisons are places of justice, hardship, and prosecution of those who have broken the law. Many people trust that the inmates are completely cut off from connections with the outside. Most people believe criminals receive the punishment they deserve by depriving them of the rights and privileges that the rest of society enjoys. There are many questions that will remain unanswered, but one important question would be: Is the prison system effective, or is the staff making it too easy for the inmates to deal with contraband? There are many issues that involve prison systems such as overcrowding, but the one I find most interesting is the drug abuse and ways inmates obtain these drugs.