Drugs in the Prison System This research paper will consist of an analysis of the use and abuse of illicit drugs within the prison systems on a global basis. With information gathered from various sources such as the internet and one on one interviews with an inmate in a male correctional facility and a former inmate of a female correctional facility I intend to show the rampant flow of drugs in and out of the prison system, the control of (or lack there of) by prison officials, the drug gangs and dealers in correctional facilities, the rate of addiction, and treatments available to inmates suffering from addiction. The introduction of drugs into the prison system has been an issue for corrections staff for many years. Prison officials suspect inmate visitors are the main source of how drugs coming into prisons. Although inmates and visitors are subjected to a meticulous search prior to contact with one another, the introduction of drugs is happening on a regular basis. Drugs can become a major source of income, not only for the inmate, but also for the individual or individuals who take the drugs into a correctional facility. Another avenue for inmates is using a correctional officer. Most of the drugs that are available within a prison arrive by courier through a corrections officer. Unlike an inmate visitor, a corrections officer is not subjected to a meticulous search of their person and property. Stephen Shaw of the Prison Reform Trust was quoted as saying, " Prison officers were said to turn a blind eye to its use and even to deal it in themselves, to make their job easier."1 Several states within the United States allow for inmates to have possession of personal clothing. An inmate receiving personal clothing from home may also receive drugs that have been hidden within the clothing by a family member or friend. In addition, drugs have been known to be sent via the mail to an inmate concealed in packages of all natures. In the past, the distribution of heroin to an inmate was easily concealed on a postage stamp or on the glue part of an envelope. The use of drugs are an issue many people around the world must deal with while incarcerated or in the "free world." Throughout the history of prison reformatories inmates have constructed a mailing system within the prison to communicate wi... ... middle of paper ... ...liams (in person) First hand account of drug trafficking, use, abuse, effects, and treatment in a Washington State male correctional facility. Prison Information Handbook (http://www.pars.org.nz/prison_information_handbook.htm) General information about prisons in New Zealand. Schaffer Library of Drug Policy (http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/GovPubs/cjstcha.htm) A Criminal Justice System Strategy for Treating Cocaine-Heroin Abusing Offenders in Custody. Substance Use In Prisoners The Norm Rather Than The Exception (http://www.docguide.com/dg.nsf/PrintPrint/1930E4546A3C26C7852564CA00574711) An article detailing drug use in UK prisons. The Eye of the Needle (http://news.scotsman.com/columnists.cfm?id=1207092004) An article about an inmate detailing drugs use and authority’s attitude in Scotland. The Prevention of Infectious Diseases in Prison (http://www.drugtext.org/library/articles/florenz.html) The effects of drugs and the spread of Aids and other diseases in prisons as a direct effect of drug abuse. Zero Tolerance for drugs in Prison (http://clinton3.nara.gov/WH/Work/010599.html) Presidents Clinton’s No tolerance drugs policy for the American Prison system.
Charles McDuffie is serving a five-year sentence for burglary. He feels as if he has to turn to drugs for help. McDuffie’s drinking and drug addiction began
After viewing the documentary: America's War on Drugs - The Prison Industrial Complex, it is clear that the Criminal Justice System is in desperate need of reconstruction and repair with policies such as the mandatory minimum sentencing act which has proven to be unsuccessful and unjust in its efforts to deter 'criminals from committing illegal acts' as seen with the increase of incarcerations of the American people and the devastating effect it has had on those in prison and the family members of those incarcerated.
Every civilization in history has had rules, and citizens who break them. To this day governments struggle to figure out the best way to deal with their criminals in ways that help both society and those that commit the crimes. Imprisonment has historically been the popular solution. However, there are many instances in which people are sent to prison that would be better served for community service, rehab, or some other form of punishment. Prison affects more than just the prisoner; the families, friends, employers, and communities of the incarcerated also pay a price. Prison as a punishment has its pros and cons; although it may be necessary for some, it can be harmful for those who would be better suited for alternative means of punishment.
Within our society, there is a gleaming stigma against the drug addicted. We have been taught to believe that if someone uses drugs and commits a crime they should be locked away and shunned for their lifetime. Their past continues to haunt them, even if they have changed their old addictive ways. Everyone deserves a second chance at life, so why do we outcast someone who struggles with this horrible disease? Drug addiction and crime can destroy lives and rip apart families. Drug courts give individuals an opportunity to repair the wreckage of their past and mend what was once lost. Throughout this paper, I will demonstrate why drug courts are more beneficial to an addict than lengthy prison sentences.
Santos, Michael G. Inside: Life Behind Bars in America. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2006. Print.
Prison contemplative programs are also of great help to both prison inmates and staff. These contemplative programs include yoga, meditation and prayers for contemplation. Through such programs, both prison staff and inmates benefit a lot especially when it comes to relieving stress. In most countries and especially America, majority of the prisoners are dealers of illicit drugs. It is logical that most drug addicts engage in criminal activities. Therefore, drug treatment programs in jails and prisons are a useful tool for rehabilitation and reformation of inmates into better people who can be productive once their jail term ends. However studies show that currently in America, only a small proportion of inmates requesting for drug treatment actually receive it (Listverse,
Unfortunately, this rush to develop and implement preventive measures has resulted in a degree of polarization which has hindered progress towards implementation of effective prevention measures. Prisons and jails offer uniquely important opportunities for improving disease control in the community by providing health care to disease prevention program to a large and concentrated population of individuals at high risk for disease. Inmates often have little interaction with the health care system before and after being incarcerated. (U.S. News & World Report) The bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reported that in 1999, HIV/AIDS in prisons and jails was a growing problem in American correctional facilities. The AIDS rate in US prisons was five times the rate of general population. (Society. 2003)
The past two decades have engendered a very serious and historic shift in the utilization of confinement within the United States. In 1980, there were less than five hundred thousand people confined in the nation’s prisons and jails. Today we have approximately two million and the numbers are still elevating. We are spending over thirty five billion annually on corrections while many other regime accommodations for education, health
ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION Valerie Hinton It is undeniable that mass incarceration devastates families, and disproportionately affects those who are poor. When examining the crimes that bring individuals into the prison system, it is clear that there is often a pre-existing pattern of hardship, addiction, or mental illness in offenders’ lives. The children of the incarcerated are then victimized by the removal of those who care for them and a system which plants more obstacles than imaginable on the path to responsible rehabilitation. Sometimes, those returned to the community are “worse off” after a period of confinement than when they entered.
Jones, C. (2009). Ineffective, Unjust and Inhumane: Mandatory Prison Sentences for Drug Offences. The John Howard Society of Canada.
Works Cited Federal Bureau of Prisons : http://www.bop.gov/ Inciardi, Dr. James A., A Corrections-Based Continuum of Effective Drug Abuse Treatment. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Available: http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles/contdrug.txt. Butterfield, Fox. The "Prison: Where the Money Is."
Substance abuse is a national problem. Prisons are overcrowded with these types of offenders. People will do anything to get these drugs ranging from petty theft to murder. People with substance abuse problems know no boundaries. All they think about is how they are going to get that drug for that day. Substance abusers do not care who they hurt or why they hurt them. A lot of people that are addicted hurt the people they love the most like children and parents. People in the prison system that has been convicted of violent crimes most of them say that they were under the influence of some type of drug or alcohol.
From the inception of the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914, the social concept of drug addicts or those recovering from abuse as “criminal deviants” is still stigmatized today even though we have gained ground and won the war on dru...
“The history of correctional thought and practice has been marked by enthusiasm for new approaches, disillusionment with these approaches, and then substitution of yet other tactics”(Clear 59). During the mid 1900s, many changes came about for the system of corrections in America. Once a new idea goes sour, a new one replaces it. Prisons shifted their focus from the punishment of offenders to the rehabilitation of offenders, then to the reentry into society, and back to incarceration. As times and the needs of the criminal justice system changed, new prison models were organized in hopes of lowering the crime rates in America. The three major models of prisons that were developed were the medical, model, the community model, and the crime control model.
3) SentencingProject.org 2002 “Distorted Priorities: Drug Offenders in State Prisons” Retrieved March 9th 2014 “http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/File/Drug%20Policy/dp_distortedpriorities.pdf” (SentencingProject.org 2002)