ipl-logo

Prison Drug Laws Essay

768 Words4 Pages

Once upon a time, there were no drug laws in the United States. Back then Americans had this strange idea that somehow this was the land of the free and you can do what you wanted with your body, but we got rid of that notion. There once was a time, when Americans also believed that prisons had the purpose of rehabilitating prisoners; that was the official ideology of the American correctional system, but we did away with that principal. Now we live in a time, all praise to the criminal “justice” system, where America is known for holding the World’s record for prisoners. And although “the united States comprise of only 5% of the World’s population we house 25% of the Worlds prisoners”. Of those 25% percent we detain a staggering percentage …show more content…

Many of the inmates that have been convicted of drug charges do not have any prior conviction of violence but are exposed to the violent prison systems and/or not receiving the appropriate rehabilitation they need. Many families like mine are having to suffer by having to worry if their family members are safe from rap, violence and etc. Though some States have taken steps to provide programs as an alternative to incarceration, such as The Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison (DTAP) program, developed by the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, N.Y., which is the first prosecution-led residential drug treatment diversion program in the country according to the National Institute of Justice. In addition, some States have created special drug courts to review drug related offenses. According to the drug court activity data, as of April 5, 2013, there were 2,383 Drug Court Programs currently operating in the US. Another 198 Drug Court Programs were being planned. Adult Drug Courts were operating or being planned in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Drug courts were operating or being planned in a total of 1,537 out of 3,143 counties in the US. However, the percentage is still at its height and there are many individuals that are still incarcerated.
Some people may believe that harsh drug laws may be a logical

Show More
Related

1970s Drug Court Model

250 Words | 1 Pages

During the 1970s and 1980s, the use of illegal drugs was growing; which undertook a war on drugs. As of June 2001, there were a total of 697 drug court programs, serving around 226,000 offenders and another 427 programs being planned (Office of Justice Programs, 2001). The drug court can be seen as a social movement to crack down on drugs. Although the drug court model continues to evolve, there are some key components. Some of these key components are, a non adversarial approach that emphasizes teamwork; eligible participants are defined early and promptly placed in the drug court program; and abstinence is monitored by frequent alcohol and drug testing, and so on.

Read More

Community Based Intermediate Sanctions Case Study

959 Words | 4 Pages

Drug courts were first implemented in the late 1980’s, this innovative program spawned many other specialized courts like domestic violence courts, juvenile and family drug courts, and even “deadbeat dad” courts. Drug court specializes in the sobriety of the individuals that participate in this program “between one-fourth and one-half of all adult males arrested, and roughly one-half of all females arrested, were at risk for drug dependence; few had been treated for drug or alcohol use in the prior year” (Wilson, 2006). Not all drug courts operate the same way, many times the judge may impose different sanctions depending on the characteristics of the offender; leverage, population severity, program intensity, predictability, rehabilitative are just a few of the characteristics that a judge may use when rendering his/her

Read More

Essay On Drug Court

613 Words | 3 Pages

On April 20 of this year I attended the drug court which is located in the Erie County Courthouse. The Drug Court is intended to promote healthy and law-abiding behavior for its participants. It acts as an alternative for jail and an individual is free to live in the community as long he or she participates in all services, along with being subject to random drug testing.

Read More

Drug Courts Vs Traditional Drug Courts Essay

1190 Words | 5 Pages

Drug courts focus on dealing with substance abuse or cases involving alcohol (Patchin & Keveles, 2004). This method desires to effectively battle the drug and alcohol problem by specifying the type of treatment. The drug courts can center their attention on the addressed drug and alcohol problem faster than traditional courts, while providing offenders with the appropriate method of rehabilitation or treatment. Drug courts: require for offenders to participate in random drug tests, can reward or discipline the offender based on their progress or failure to not to drugs, are available to selected participants, and can help offenders avoid a guilty charge in court if they are successful in their participation in the programs. A useful example regarding drug courts involve individuals who are normal substance abusers, but the traditional courts have found that their methods have not helped the offenders stay out of jail.

Read More

Florida Drug Rehabilitation Essay

534 Words | 3 Pages

Illicit drug and substance use has been a major concern across the United States and Florida is no exception. Resulting to serious mental disorder, undesirable psychological and physiological outcomes as it gains root especially among the youth. As a result of this more and more victims are in desperate need of rehabilitation; such a quest that has lead to the development of a number of Florida drug rehabs. One institution that makes it possible to locate the right Florida drug rehab centers is Drug Treatment Network. With a dedication akin to a bee, it is geared towards seeing victims live a free and a healthy life as they recover to full productivity.

Read More

The Decriminalization Of Drugs In The United States

1077 Words | 5 Pages

Only 18.3% (337,882) were for the sale or manufacture of a drug” (p. 23). Therefore, the individuals who are likely to enter the already overcrowded prisons may be users and the actual not distributors themselves. Thus, prison space that is intended to be reserved for murders and sexual predators is instead being occupied by substance

Read More

Essay On Decriminalisation Of Drugs

1629 Words | 7 Pages

However, there are many that argue that the decriminalization of possession of drugs would redirect focus of the law enforcement system of any country to put more effort into arresting dealers and big time criminals, instead of arresting minor criminals for mere possession, and thus be more effective. It also has more focus on the drug user instead of drug lords which is a more humane approach as compared to the others. Decriminalisation then includes diversion programmes instead of incarceration. Decriminalisation also removes the stigma attached to a criminal conviction for the use of

Read More

Arguments For Legalizing Drugs

1422 Words | 6 Pages

It is estimated that 2.3 million American are in jail or they are in prison and roughly half of them are convicted of drug use or drug possession. America has created an entire nation of warring gangs and rivals by making the use and possessions of drugs illegal. The opposing side to the legalization of drugs argue that legalizing drugs will take more lives than it already has, which in the eyes of many people is the opposite of what we think. As of today, non-prescribed drugs are illegal and because of the government's doing it has caused a countless number of lives to be lost due to the battle for control of the illegal drug

Read More

Decriminalize All Drugs Essay

469 Words | 2 Pages

Drug use and addiction is a problem that many nations face. Different countries dealt with this problem differently. When Portugal was struggling with drug use, and the problems that go along with that like overdoses and addiction, they decided to decriminalize all drugs. This was a very controversial decision at the time, and still is today. When the United States was dealing with similar drug problems, they went the opposite way, introducing longer minimum sentences for drug related criminal charges.

Read More

Addiction In Jail

540 Words | 3 Pages

On the other hand, if a drug addict is sent to a treatment facility where they can get the help they need to overcome drug addiction, the individual stands a chance to get back out into the world and contribute in a positive way to society.   In New York’s estimation, sending those convicted of nonviolent drug crimes to treatment rather than jail will save the state a quarter of a billion dollars a year.  Financially in the long run, and for the benefit of the addict, it seems addiction treatment rather than jail is the way to go.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of The War On Drugs

817 Words | 4 Pages

Drugs and the price An alarming fact about the United States of America that it has the highest prison population rate in the world (Walmsley, Roy.1). However, there is hope to fix this problem also with plethora of other problem that come with the war on drugs: jail alternatives. Drug use offenders should be offered treatment or other alternatives as opposed to jail and prison because it reduces criminal offenses, saves the state money and allows more opportunities for people who are indirectly affected. Drug addiction is a health issue that need to be address better because jail and prison time is not effective.

Read More

Persuasive Essay On War On Drugs

1616 Words | 7 Pages

The United States of America has been at war with drugs for decades. Despite our nation’s deepest efforts, this war seems to worsen every year. New actions must be put in place, so government officials can focus on more complex issues, like national security and education. Since the 1970s, illegal drugs have created a multitude of issues in our nation, including a considerable divide in opinion. The illegal use of many drugs has severe medical effects on those who misuse, which continues to impact our heath care systems.

Read More

Theories Of Psychiatry

1427 Words | 6 Pages

To begin, in 2009, the epidemiologist Jacques Baillargeon of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston alongside his colleagues, described this situation as a “national public health crisis.” The group describes that everything started in the 1960s, thanks to the antipsychotic medication which led to a movement of closing various psychiatric hospitals to an extent. The now-closed institutions were supposed to be replaced by a close-by community facility, and the health insurance you had was supposed to cover mental health treatment, but the failure to ensure both led to the war-on-drugs that began in the 1980s. The war on drugs led to increased drug arrests, and led to mandatory and fixed sentences. Sadly, but no surprise, more offenders that were on drugs were wrongly incarcerated for many years, this due to failure from the government to protect them.

Read More

Drug Addiction In Prison Essay

431 Words | 2 Pages

With so many individuals using drugs, I believe drug addicts should not be sent to prison for punishment but instead a hospital to receive extensive treatment for their disorder. When individuals are sent to prison proper treatment can’t be obtained; drug abuse goes beyond physical and needs to be handled with proper treatment in a hospital. According to The Sage Journal “Scholars argued that incarceration was ineffective for drug-dependent offenders because it did not address the specific needs of these offenders, namely, the social and psychological correlates of drug addiction.” (Warren.

Read More

Persuasive Essay On The War On Drugs

852 Words | 4 Pages

The “War on Drugs” campaign has been unsuccessful in preventing the illegal drug trade. As a result, the campaign has managed to marginalize and impoverish the participating societies, causing social and economic harm. By pointing out the failures of this campaign this paper will explain how alternatives can lead to a more successful outcome. The “War on Drugs” is more of a failure that places restrictions and prohibitions on drug offenders and has not necessarily shown a sense of equal stability; thus, leading to faulty sentences, misinterpretations of the real purpose of this initiative, and an overpopulation of prisons. These sentencing strategies are more disproportionate when it comes to different drugs.

Read More

More about Prison Drug Laws Essay

Related Topics

Open Document