This research seeks to establish whether making the penalty stiff will work in repeating repeat and future offenders. This research is tied to a larger theory that harsh punishments act as a deterrent to crime. They work by making people not commit a crime for fear of the punishment that is going to follow. This research is applicable across many facets of crimes that are rampant. It is going to help identify whether enacting stricter laws and enforcing them helps in reducing the relate... ... middle of paper ... ... policies have to be able to effectively deal with the crime.
Worrall reached similar conclusions, stating that while much of the research into the effectiveness of drug courts has suffered from design limitations, they have shown reductions in recidivism (Worrall 168). Reentry programs try and take a fresh look at sending prisoners back into society after revamped educational and counseling programs (Walker 363). Unfortunately there is not a lot of evidence that these programs reduce recidivism rates (Walker 363) Walker concludes that the evidence is inconclusive, programs are in their early stages, and more research is necessary due to the current crisis of so many prisoners being released (Walker 363). Probation is where offenders receive supervision and treatment in the community rather than in a correctional setting (Walker 255). Walker assesses probation as necessary and appropriate for many offenders.
From here the cycle of crime, arrest, jail, and return to society continues, solving absolutely nothing. Therefore, placing drug-addicted offenders in jails fails to confront the major problem at hand which is that of the drug abuse. If drug-addicted offenders were placed in drug treatment centers instead of being incarcerated, the problem of drug abuse would have a much higher opportunity to be flushed from the offender's life. Thus, the chance of that the offender would commit another crime for drugs would be reduced. The felonies that were committed by these drug addicts are usually due to the fact that they want to help fill their cravings for the drug.
Eligibility varies depending on state and local guidelines targeting adult drug offenders, but do not accept violent offenders. The problem with this treatment is the availability limiting the opportunity for this more suitable alternative for people convicted of drug offenses. The disparities among drug charges have led to rise of people incarcerated for drug crimes. With mandatory sentences weighting down enormously on everyone involved with the illicit drug market. Waging war on struggling addicts has made little progress.
Yes, drugs are illegal. This very fact is what discourages many Americans from using drugs. However the illegality of the substances in question do not stop all people from using. Despite the severe punishment users of illicit drugs face if caught, illicit drug use is widespread in the United States. “According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse's 1992 National Household Survey, more than one in three Americans (36.2%) have used illegal drugs at least once in their lifetime, nearly 28 million Americans (11.1%) used them in the previous year, and almost 14 million Americans (5.5%) used them during the past month” (Skolnick 3).
Dementia is a biological disease, not a mental disease and right now there are up to 5.3 million citizens with Alzheimer’s (Hebert). This creates a growing demand for treatment in a mental health facility, for issues that are not even mentally related. There is a copious amount of false placement because disorders like Dementia, ADHD, and many others are not mental, but biological. What the United States has is a fractured system that has made convenient treatment nearly unattainable for sick people in need. People of all ages suffer from mental illnesses but because of the misconceptions of what is a mental illness, social and legal pressures thwart victims from seeking help.
While funding for rehabilitation facilities could become an issue, drug users may continue their addiction without proper treatment, and therefore those arrested for drug use should be sent to a rehabilitation center instead of prison. The first step in ending the issue of drug use and abuse in our country is to cure the drug users from their addiction in a safe, controlled manner. As confirmed in an article from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Drug addiction is a chronic disease characterized by compulsive, or uncontrollable, drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences and changes in the brain, which can be long lasting.” (“Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction”) The addiction of drugs is an actual disease, and cannot be brushed off as something that can be stopped at any point in time. Drug addiction is just as serious as any other diagnosed disease and must be cured accordingly. Prison will not benefit those addicted to drugs because it is a disease that must be treated, just as any other illness is.
This policy issue would not exist, were it not for the people affected by drug policy, the drug users. Drug users can encapsulate anything from a heroin addicts, to those who rely on prescribed pharmaceutical drugs for pain. These drug users are all policy actors, who are influenced by policy changes made at a government level. There are a range of reasons why people use drugs, from purely recreational, through to strong mental illness and addiction. However, despite being the ones most affected, and most at risk from drug policy, history has shown that drug users rarely get any real input into drug policy decisions (Hathaway, 2001).
Correlation research reveals a pattern between two variables that have been measured several times. To uncover a relationship between alcohol and violence, I would use the correlation research. Using naturalistic observation, I would observe public intoxication at common bars or clubs, and involve accessible records of already convicted violent offenders that acknowledge the use of alcohol. I would choose this method because I believe this would be an abundant amount of knowledge that could properly disclose a correlation, weather positive or negative, between alcohol and violence, and present a strong or weak number that predicts the correlation thus making this research method the most viable. Although this data may display a relationship between the two variables, it does not divulge a cause, and may be very time consuming, which is the biggest disadvantages to a correlation study.
Abuse and addiction are the adverse consequences that sometimes occur when drugs are ... ... middle of paper ... ...its goal and at this rate we as a nation will run out of money long before it does ever come close. The real tragedy of this situation are those who suffer, and those are the ones incarcerated. From the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 1997 3 out of 4 state and 4 out of 5 federal prisoners may be characterized as an alcohol or drug involved offender. The percentage of those in prison for drug offenses was 54.8% in 2002. Prisons are overcrowding and it seems less money is being put into them.