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The Controversy On The Relationship Between Drugs And Crime

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The Relationship Between Drugs and Crime

The relationship between criminal activity, violent offenses and substance abuse is profound and rather complex. There is a lot of controversy if people who are more prone to becoming involved in criminal activity is a consequence of the lifestyle forced on those who wish to engage in substance abuse. Violent offenses are less likely to be reported when the victim and the perpetrator are both under the influence of the drug. Types of drug offenses can be broken down into three categories: drug defined offenses, drug related offenses and drug using lifestyle.

Drug defined offenses are laws that are violated which is related to possessing a substance, distributing or manufacturing a substance. These offenses can include possession, cultivation or production of drugs. Examples of these drugs include: marijuana, methamphetamines, cocaine, and heroin. Drug related …show more content…

Offenders are broken down into two types of categories which are: drug offender who are addicts and drug offenders who sale and or manufacture drugs. Many illegal drug users commit no other kinds of crimes, and many persons who commit crimes never use illegal drugs. Additionally, drug offender addicts develop an increased tolerance to a drug which ultimately leads to an increased likelihood that they will experience withdrawal. Their use typically leads them to engaging in more risky behaviors in which activate the rewards center of the brain while under the influence. Drug offenders who sale and manufacture the drugs feel a sense of power for those who believe themselves to be powerless and or disenfranchised. Drug offenders who sale and manufacture the drugs also develop an increased sense of self-esteem because they begin to feel they are above the law the longer they go without being caught for the

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The second category is physical dependence. This can be shown as the individual needs more of the substance to get the same effect as when they first started to consume it. Also, they develop withdrawal symptoms when they are not using the drug. The third category is social problems. The DSM-5 states that social problems are shown as individuals neglecting their responsibilities at work, home, and school because of substance use, and they continue to use it despite the problems that cause in their relationships.

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The bureau is constantly trying to improve its treatment for inmates, lowering the number of new inmates, while deceasing the number of inmates who return to prison life. Programs both inside and outside of the federal prison system are conducted in an attempt to understand what is the driving force behind crime. As mentioned previously, one of the largest criminal offenses for inmate incarceration is illegal drug activity, either its manufacture, possession, purchase, sale, or use. Approximately fifty-one percent of inmates are incarcerated due to illegal drug activity. Studies are even conducted to determine how race and ethnicity play a social factor into incarceration due to illegal drug activity.

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