Incarceration Vs Rehabilitation Essay

Many different states have begun sending nonviolent drug offenders to various kinds of drug treatment program the state offers. By doing this, it has significantly reduced the problems with overcrowding. If an individual is arrested and charged with simple possession of a drug and no other crime is being commented, then this person is doing no harm to anyone else. They should be given the opportunity to try and make a change in their life and beat the addiction. Instead, if this person is thrown into jail, they are still going to be an addict with a criminal record now and will not be able to be a contributing member of society. (Everett 1 ).

There has been debate over whether non-violent drug offenders belong in prison. Some believe all drug offenders should be put in prison, others believe that it depends on circumstances, and, still others believe only violent drug offenders should be incarcerated. Overcrowding is one point of contention. It seems as though the slightest infraction can land a person in prison. Violence is rampant, whether inmate versus inmate or inmate versus guard. Rehabilitation or education is practically non-existent, unless an inmate teaching another inmate how to commit the ‘perfect’ crime is counted. Evidence shows being in prison does little to rehabilitate an inmate. Clearly, the system does not work.

The mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug crimes should be abolished. Treatment and rehabilitation efforts

Statistics have proven that incarceration alone is a monetary pitfall and does not deter the cluster of non-violent drug related crimes in this country. We need to create an alternative habilitation pattern for these offenders including an assessment of their mental health, specialized life skills training, and occupational employment assistance: in some cases, in lieu of incarceration and in others, in conjunction with incarceration. Ask yourself these questions: What affect would this type of intense program have on the recidivism rate? Would we be saving tax-payer dollars by producing graduates from drug rehabilitation programs instead of housing repeat criminals? To

Instead of throwing the nonviolent offenders into prison, they should instead be transferred into a drug rehabilitation center. In prison, the drug convicts are not taught to stop selling drugs or getting cured from drugs, instead they just stay in a harsh environment. When they are released from their sentence, nothing is stopping them from going back out onto the streets and to start reselling or doing drugs. If placed into a rehabilitation center, they would be more likely to get the proper treatment and there will be a less chance for them to be released and to start getting involved in drugs yet

The authors showed that with the growing criteria for offenders to be submitted to drug programs caused a “widening net” effect. This effect causes many offenders who would have needed help with their addicted fall-through and are incarcerated. These individuals then contribute to the growing population of prisons and jails. I agree with the author’s idea to fix this problem by creating more drug court programs with will allow more offenders to filter through to get help. Another fix for drug courts is to widen the restrictions of offenders and allow more addicted offenders into the drug courts. This also will allow numerous offenders to get the help that they need and hopefully not

The concept of incapacitation indicates that individuals behind bars cannot commit a crime outside the perimeter of incarceration. The prevention strategy came due to efficacy issues with the rehabilitation model that resulted in increased crime rate and fear among the neighborhoods. These reasons justify the reason why people face imprisonment (Cullen & Gilbert, 1982). The majority accepts that lengthy incarceration acts as retribution for serious offenders and possesses the serious threat to the public if released. Is incapacitation a cost-saving crime prevention strategy? The deterrence and incapacitation should create space for the repeat and most dangerous offenders. The strategies would then lead to imprisonment of

The United States Correctional System is often challenged as to whether it wants to rehabilitate drug offenders or punish them, and because of this it mostly does neither. Even though drug abuse and drug trafficking are widely spread national issues, the mental, social, and economic costs of "healing" through incarceration are only making the "disease" worse. Never before have more prisoners been locked up on drug offenses than today. Mixed with the extremely high risks of today's prison environment, the concept of incarceration as punishment for drug offenders cannot be successful. Without the correct form of rehabilitation through treatment within Michigan's Correctional System, drug

Those incarcerated today are not given the chance to change their behavior patterns, especially when it is in regard to drug addiction. The criminal justice system in general does not consider drug abuse as anything but a crime and does not think about treating the disease of addiction in order to reduce or eliminate the crimes that come as a

Since the start of the Drug War, which was the motion to use more policing in order to end the illicit drug market, the amount of arrests have increased for drug possession. Rehab programs in state and federal prisons have helped people overcome their addiction and relapse. The same way that King Leonidas in the graphic novel, 300, went about his Spartan initiation, it portrays the way a drug addict tries to overcome their addiction. By continuing to arrest people for substance abuse, it makes it harder for someone in need of help to receive it. Therefore new rehab programs should be introduced to help addiction. This helps reduce the amount of people whose lives are ruined because a drug possession charge.

Originally, the thoughts on sending drug addicts to prison was rather negative, due to the possibilities to increase treatment options. Looking at the evidence now for various methods of treatment execution, it is more of a mixed feeling, gray area, as opposed to black and white. From hearing the class debate information, there is an increased belief in the prison system to handle addicts, though there should be less of a reason in the first place for addicts to need treatment via this method regardless. The process of prisons working to help those addicted to substances is a service that is useful but also seems to lack the long-term ability to treat, due to the lack of continuation after the sentence. The money being poured into this treatment

One of the most profound problems that plagues our society is drug addiction. With drug addiction comes those who offend and have run-ins with the law. Our country deals with these drug-addicted offenders by placing them in jails for a year or longer, only to have them come back out to society when their sentence is over. They are still drug-addicts and so they return to the street only to commit yet another crime. 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,

Rehabilitation is the key factor. This makes the drug abusers aware of their addiction and the reason/cause of it. This allows each person to move on with his or her life and begin a new chapter of sobriety. Most people believe that requiring rehabilitation for drug abusers before allowing them to be released would solve the drug abuse issue. If rehabilitation was required for drug abusers, some of them would definitely straighten up. With rehab being required, the drug abusers would not be capable of denying treatment if they had any expectations of getting out of jail. Once they began the program and remembered how life was when they were sober, they would become more likely to continue the rehab once their sentence was over. Some drug abusers might have had the desire to reverse their lifestyle back to the way it was before the substances took control. The only thing that may have stood between them and a sober life could have been financial issues. Drug abusers spend majority of their money on the substance they “cannot live without”. This would cause them to be incapable of affording drug rehabilitation. So, with rehab being required, this would provide the rehab people wanted but could not have afforded without

Drugs are a huge problem in the US there are hundreds of people currently addicted to drugs in some states alone and we are trying to solve this problem and whenever a drug addict is caught they are usually sent to prison, tons of people sent to prison when it's not even the best option. Currently, people are completely unaware that rehab is a much better option than prison for drug offenders because it is both economically superior and helps addicts reintegrate into society.

Many people believe that drug addicts should be treated as criminals. When it comes to the topic of drug addicts, most of us will readily agree that they should be put in jail because some of them might go to far and try to harm someone while being on drugs. Where this agreement usually ends however, people don’t look at the fact that the drug addicts probably have a lot of problems, and just need help. Whereas some are convicted that they could go to a rehab center and get the help they need, others maintain that going to jail would take them off the streets so that they won 't harm anything or anyone. Although, I 've always believed that drug addicts should not be treated as criminals, but as having a medical problem.