...Prisons were established many years ago as a punishment for people convicted of crimes, usually felonies. It’s a place where your freedom, movements, privacy, and access to basically everything is restricted. You’re told when you can eat, when you can sleep, when you can shower, and when you can use the bathroom. You are confined to an eight by six-foot cell, surrounded by concrete walls, sleeping on a metal bed tray with a thin pad. If prison conditions weren’t already bad enough, imagine living with 40,000 other inmates in a facility that was built with a capacity to house 32,000 inmates. Overcrowding in the U.S. corrections system has become an increasing problem in both state and federal prisons, with most facilities operating at more than 100 percent capacity. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there was an estimated 1.51 million prisoners in state and local correctional facilities at the...
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...Mcevoy 1 Brandon Mcevoy ENG 105 Malory Klocke April, 27, 2016 Prison reform in America For the entirety of our lives in America we all know of certain taboos, the no no’s of American culture. Examples being drugs, assault, theft, drug distribution. What needs to be discussed are how these infractions are handled in America, how our justice system operates, how mandatory minimum sentences are discerned, parole and probation are handled as well as their violations, and punishment for violations are handled. Dating back to Sweden around 1746 coffee was made illegal on the basis of public safety without any evidence. King Gustav the 3rd was fighting for prohibition of coffee for 20 years and citizens suffered because of the ignorance of the peoples in power (Gustav III of Sweden's coffee experiment). Alcohol was banned just the same, and the end result? Legalization and the realization that the governing bodies were essentially harassing people unjustly without truly understanding the substance in question. Yet it is common knowledge that using substances may be addictive and harmful. As well the sale of drugs could be considered tax evasion. These non-regulated drugs may be impure and even more damaging by way of containing harmful chemicals. The real issue is your brain gets used to operating on synthetic versions of natural chemicals or large quantities of the synthetic version. (“What drugs do to the brain”) Early prohibition of marijuana originated after the Mexican...
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...is a violation of probation. However, if you file a violation report on her, she will go back to prison. You know she is doing the best she can with her kids, is very involved with their school, and they are strongly bonded to her. As her...
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...Prison Life and Recidivism Karen Cavanagh CRJ303: Corrections Instructor: Gary Gonzales September 19, 2011 Prison Life and Recidivism Prison recidivism is a problem in the United States, resulting in prison overcrowding. As the government struggles to address the conditions in prisons, researchers have begun to look at alternatives to incarceration. These alternatives can result in lowering crime, recidivism and the prison population. The numbers of people in the United States spending time in prison and the amount of time people are spending is an enormous problem and cost for every state (Langan & Levin, 2002). Prisons correctional role is mainly formed from the special strict environment where sentenced people are placed for a certain period of time. The difference in life conditions, that are stricter, more formal as well as restricted, forces on the sentenced person and has a correctional and educational function on his consciousness of a person. Prisoners have less freedoms and rights than those who are out of prison. They are forced to obey the rules of the correctional facility that includes a strict scheduled daily life, limit time for outside activities out of the cells, limited access to visitors and limited time of the visits. Prisoners in the United States have a shorter period of time for visitors to visit prisoners compared to other countries. The life of prisoners in the correctional institutions is based on the authoritarian regime of the prison’s...
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...The scenario illustrated a single mother with prior drug offense is on parole. She was told the conditions of her parole and any infractions by the correctional officer that could result loss of probation and possible prison term. Nevertheless, various dilemmas arise in regard to her probation were found on a certain day. First, the mother possesses drug paraphernalia in the jacket she was wearing. Second, she wore the same jacket earlier to her child school which is a drug free zone. Third, she stated that the coat belong to a friend. Fourth, if she is guilty and sentence to prison, she will not be able to see her child. Hence, the fourth dilemma is more of a moral dilemma. If I was the probationer officer, I would give the mother the benefit...
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...(1) A few ethical violations can be found in this experiment. First, the subjects are ages 13-15. This age group/population is considered to be special because juveniles may experience violations of privacy, which is something that’s a great concern. Because researchers in this project informed the classmates of the subjects and because the subjects are followed for a year, everyone throughout the school has probably been made aware of the participation. Informing the classmates of the subjects’ participation is also a violation of confidentiality because the identities of the subjects have been revealed. Analysis and Reporting may also show ethic violations, because this also requires the identification of subjects to remain a secret. The researchers also violated ethics by gaining consent from the underage subjects instead of their parents. This is considered to be a special problem. Parents only receive a survey that assess changes in their child, and may not fully be aware of the project that they’re children are participating in. This could prove to be a legal issue in the event that harm is done to the child and the parent sues. In order to eliminate the violations, a few changes can be made. Parents should be given a form to read and sign. In most cases, parents are better at comprehending information than children. By giving consent parents can ensure that the project is safe, which decreases legal liability. To protect subjects, researchers should not disclose the identity...
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...deadly force to prevent the escape of a suspected felon even when the person represented no immediate threat to the officer or the public. This was known as the: (TCOs 3&4) The most widely used system of indigent defense is: (TCOs 5&6) During a trial, the ________ happens before the closing statement, but after the jury selection. (TCOs 5&6) Bail serves two purposes. One is to help ensure the reappearance of the accused at trial. The other is: (TCOs 5&6) Which of the following is one of the more rational sentencing goals? (TCOs 7&8) Historically, ________ was the most widely used type of physical punishment. (TCOs 7&8) What word describes aggressive men who assume the masculine role in homosexual relations in male prisons? (TCOs 7&8) This group...
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...There are several presidents who ran their campaigns on combating the War on Drugs; during their time in office they established or enhanced policies and laws that affected the incarceration rates and drug awareness in our country. During the Nixon administration, the Controlled Substance Act was enacted and made effective May 1st, 1971. The Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention also was established in 1971. The Drug Enforcement Administration was created by Nixon in 1973. Since Nixon publicly declared the War on Drugs, stating that drugs were the public's number one enemy, it is clear when his administration’s intent to commit mass incarceration and racial inequality began. During the Nixon Administration, according to the Sentencing...
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...One of the harshest penalties implemented in American government for illicit substances is the War on Drugs (Winterbourne, 2012). According to Mauer and King (2007), the War on Drugs has been a prominent contributor to the massive...
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... A growing number of Americans are seeking reforms for the correctional systems in the country. Some agree with this thought and some disagree with it. II. With more prisoners being added by the hundreds each week, chaos is dominating the correctional department. III. Whatever the case may be, there is not a doubt that the correctional system in America is not working, and is failing to resolve important issues such as: A) Crowdedness. B) Health and drugs problems. C) Rehabilitation. Transition Body IV. Prisoners need to be packed like sardines. V. Violation of privacy. VI. The government has to care even for criminals. VII. Lack of personal space might have psychological effects on prisoners, it has been proven. Transition VIII. Health and drugs crimes are also being committed outside. IX. Prisoners are being force to live with health and drugs issues. X. Government should provide quality health care and trusted facilities to avoid drugs and health shortcomings. XI. Priority is given to the population that is doing the right thing in the society. Transition XII. Once a criminal always a criminal, rehabilitation does not work. XIII. Everybody makes mistakes and deserves a chance. XIV. Rehabilitation programs are not funded properly. XV. Funds are scarce...
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...of heroin? | What are the penalties for possession of prescription drugs? | What is the blood alcohol level for a driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI) crime? | Is there extreme DWI or DUI? If so, what is the punishment? | Federal | | | | | | | <State 1> | | | | | | | <State 2> | | | | | | | <State 3> | | | | | | | 1. Where do you see the largest variance between federal and state anti-drug legislation? 2. What is the purpose of anti-drug legislation in relation to public order crime? Federal Despite medical cannabis laws in 40 states, cannabis is still illegal under federal law. Federal marijuana law. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.safeaccessnow.org/federal_marijuana_law Under federal law, a person with no prior federal or state convictions of possession of any narcotic who is convicted of a first offense of cocaine possession may be sentenced to not more than one year in prison, fined not less than $1,000, or both. A person convicted of cocaine possession after a prior conviction of possession of cocaine or any other narcotic in either federal or state court may be sentenced to not less than 15 days and not more than two years in prison, fined not less than $2,500, or both. Two or more prior convictions of possession of any narcotic in federal or state court may lead to a sentence of not less than 90 days in prison, a fine of not less than $5,000, or both. The term of imprisonment and...
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...Prison Overcrowding Les Heflin Bryant & Stratton College CRJU150: Corrections Mrs. Anderson November 22, 2011 Prison Overcrowding The United States is considered the most punitive country in the world, has the world’s highest incarceration rate holding more than 2.3 million people and overcrowding has become a major problem for the prison system (Parole Reform, 2010, ¶ 2). There are 748 people inmates per 100,000 population and rising (Parole Reform, 2010, ¶ 10). There are reasons such as the three strike law, the economy, and the war on drugs. We are going to glance at these reasons and the problems that raise concern for overcrowded prisons. The three strike law that many states have adopted affects the prison population, giving repetitive offenders mandatory minimum sentences of 25 years to life for the third conviction of a felony offense. The three strike law that holds this harsh penalty will continue to cause prison overcrowding in years to come. There are some states prisons are operating at almost twice their designed capacity rate. The belief behind the law was that getting career criminals off the streets was good public policy, but many in many cases we may argue that this is cruel and unusual punishment. The downward spiral of the economy also affects the prison population. There are limited jobs to people in society, especially to people that have been convicted with serious crimes. People that have been incarcerated for various offences...
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...Prison Downsizing Implementation in New York State Darlene R. Muller Policy Implementation: Spring 2013 New York State has been in financial crisis for a long time. Numerous plans, policies and budget cuts have been proposed and enacted to attempt to save money, and no public service or government agency has been overlooked. One of areas where most attention is drawn is to the corrections system. A large portion of New York’s budget is spent on housing, supervising, and rehabilitating inmates. There are many who believe this is wasteful, but what is the solution to the dilemma? Public safety must be ensured, as well as the rights the inmates and accused are entitled to. There are two sides to this problem. There are vast amounts of money spent upon this system, however it also is one of the main sources of employment for those located in the areas that contain these facilities. The loss of jobs and revenue within these areas must be comparable to the savings involved. There is no question policy changes must be made, as the prison population continues to grow and budget constraints are an issue in every state. As policies are enacted to become tougher on crime, the need for corrections services increases. Legislation and policy change has had some success in other states. Kansas had an overwhelming problem with prison population and budget restraints throughout the last few decades. (Rengifo, 2010) At first, with increased prison capacity, in the 1980’s, Kansas...
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...Iris Walker Kathy Anderson English 1020 02/12/2012 Are our drug laws working I will be discussing drug-related crimes, besides what the financial burden is in our society. Additionally, I will bring out how two countries, the Netherlands and Portugal, addressed their drug problems in relation to crime. I do not believe that our drug laws are working because neither crime nor costs are going down. Below is an excerpt that explains the relationship between drugs and crime: Economic-Related: Economic crimes include those that are committed by drug users in order to support additional drug use. These crimes may not be inherently violent, but may become violent. The strongest indicator in classifying crimes of this nature is that the offender committed the crimes as a result of his or her compulsion to obtain drugs (Goldstein, Brownstein, & Ryan, 1992). Recent articles on national statistics related to such crimes include: * According to Substance Abuse and Treatment, State and Federal Prisoners, 1997, nineteen percent (19%) of State prisoners and sixteen percent (16%) of Federal inmates reported that they committed their most current offense to obtain money for drugs (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1997). * The percent of jail inmates who committed their offense to get money for drugs totaled about thirteen (13%). Among those inmates who committed their offense to obtain money for drugs, almost twelve percent (12%) committed violent offenses and nearly twenty-five...
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...enforcement personnel, Assistant United States Attorneys, and clerical staff.” Wisotsky’s description shows that the country and the policy makers of this period saw the justice system as the best way to stop drugs usage and distribution. This mindset would slowly shift towards using prosecution and incarceration as the main means to solve drug problems. In a Los Angeles times article Mary Perez exemplified this thought process writing, “cities began turning to the civil courts to fight the war on drugs and reclaim neighborhoods.” Perez’s article points to the ignorance, for lack of a better word, our society had towards...
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