After watching the Nancy Grace episode and thinking we do need reform in the Judicial System and the way people look at drug offenders and giving second, and maybe even third chances. I had the chance of getting a second chance and not going inside the prison walls. A couple days ago I was looking up my rights to vote as a felon in the State of Florida; of course I am not allowed that option to vote but what baffled me was I was listed with the Murders, and child abusers because I am a drug trafficker (remember those Kilo's I was transporting from Columbia to Ohio haha) it had me outraged. This is what is said "Florida - On Mar. 9, 2011 the Florida rules of Executive Clemency were toughened. Automatic restoration of civil rights and the ability to vote will no longer be granted for any offenses. All individuals convicted of any felony will now have to apply for executive clemency after a five year waiting period. Individuals who are convicted, or who have previously been convicted, of certain felonies such as murder, assault, child abuse, drug trafficking, arson, etc. are subject to a seven year waiting period and a clemency board hearing to determine whether or not the ability to vote will be restored."
Wow right? Anyways back to what I was saying... I wrote a paper about 2 years ago about Non-Violent offenders and having the chance to go to treatment. I wanted to share that here with you guys tonight and see you guys think about this. I know many people that read my blog have children, fathers, mothers, friends that are addicted to something. I feel that treatment should be offered and given and if that doesn't work send them to prison they are NOT getting it... but GIVE THEM A CHANCE!!!!
Below is my paper... it is lengthy but TONS of good information. Let me know what you guys think:
Non-violent drug Title 1
Non-Violent Drug
Offenders Should be sent to Prison
Abby Davis
Axia University of
Phoenix
There are many reasons non-violent
drug offenders are sent to prison and not receive the help they need. One
choice could be the addict, offender does not want the help, and the other
reasons could be that they are repeat drug offenders. According to the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration, our prisons are overcrowded with non-violent
drug offenders. In state prisons, 26% percent are drug offenders, while in New
York 97% percent are drug offenders that have committed felonies (United States
Department of Justice, 2009, para. 1). On the other hand, Charon Schwartz
author of Prisonlife.com is stating,
“since 1999 the number of women inmates has grown at an average rate of eight
percent and has increased 98 percent.” If
we would decriminalize non-violent drug offenders, it would open up about 60
percent of the prison system, and save tax dollars, and cut down on having to
build more prisons in the United States (Martin, 2009, p.2).
Giving an addict a chance to a new
life is something, that everybody as a non-violent drug offender should be
given. However, if one gets a second chance at life and they go and commit
another felony they ought to go to prison and not get another chance. The first
chance should be enough to not want to commit another crime, but some criminals
have that criminal thinking and do not recognize that. Drug Court is where they
try to break the cycle of substance abuse and criminal behaviors (Office of
National Drug Control Policy, 2009, p.3). In Columbus, Ohio they reported they
are going to start a Drug Court for drug abusers, and solicitation which will
save 1,500 non-violent drug offenders from jail, and save them money $2 million
dollars on jail costs, and not having to build another lock up facility ((Carmen, 2009). In the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse weekly Magazine, reported that many non-violent
drug offenders are choosing jail
instead of treatment. Jeanne Boyce director of Californians Health Services Agency
says, “In all likelihood you’ll be booked and released” because of the
overcrowding in the system in California. In South Dakota, they are trying to
release non-violent drug offenders to help with the budget. The money that is
going to the corrections to support inmates could be used for schools, roads,
and the violent offenders (USAToday, 23,
March 2009).
Therapeutic Communities have been
around for 40 years helping addicts. West Central Community Correctional
Facility is a community-based environment, which teaches you about yourself,
social skills, ones values, morals, and helping one with his behavioral skills (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2008,
p.4). Therapeutic communities are effective because it is very intense and
teaches one things and make one dig incredibly deep into the life of an addict
as to why they are the way they are, and why we as addicts do what
we do. Therapeutic communities help an individual by teaching them job skills,
how to explain his felonies, and job gaps, and teaches us about our thinking
process. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse “The Drug abuse
Treatment Outcome Study (DATOS), the most recent long term study of drug
treatments outcomes, showed that those who successfully completed treatment in
a therapeutic community had lower levels of cocaine, heroin, and alcohol use;
criminal behavior; unemployment; and indicators of depression than they had
before treatment.” On the therapeuticcommunitiesofamerica.com
website, they state they are helping over 650 people with substance abuse
problems (therapeuticcommunitiesofamerica.com,
2009). They are founded by one man that was a heroin addict and knew he
needed help so he went and got other people he knew and they all living
together in this house. A Doctor came in and started writing down everything
they did on a daily basis, it was structure for them to wake up every morning
at five thirty in the morning, start cleaning, and from five thirty to ten o’
clock at night, they were in bed. The men stayed clean, and now have new lives,
and many people have a right to thank them for starting this foundation for
addicts.
Talking with many people who have
experienced the prison life and the life of living in a therapeutic community
their opinions on prison versus therapeutic communities were different. Talking
with Wilson (personal communication, July
29, 2009) he prefers to be in a prison setting rather than a community
based facility. He said that living in prison he had a large amount of freedom
than that of a structured facility. Wilson was able to roam whenever he pleased
in prison whereas in West Central he had to be in bed at a certain time and get
along with people he necessarily would not usually communicate with. He said
that he did learn a great deal in the therapeutic environment but learned a great deal in prison
and how to life his life the right way after being incarcerated for three years
in prison. According to McElroy (personal
communication, July 29, 2009) he prefers to be in a community based
environment rather than a prison environment. McElroy states that he learned a
great deal about himself, his values, morals, responsibility, and why he is a
drug addict. He states that he learned how to communicate with others, and live
a sober lifestyle with the tools provided by West Central Community
Correctional Facility. McElroy said that he would probably not be where he is
at in his life if he did not receive the treatment from West Central. While
McElroy is a very firm believer in the therapeutic community and believes
everybody should have a second chance, Wilson as well believes in a second
chance, but feels he learned it in prison. One would think the structure and
discipline you receive in this environment is absurd, and one that has not been
there would not understand it at all. They are starting to add more therapeutic
communities to prisons, and have a high success rate of one getting out of
prison and succeeding in life and being a productive member of society.
According to Alexander (personal
communication, August 8, 2009) she attended drug court and a therapeutic
community and says she benefited from both. At drug court, she would have to
write out essays, and get things off her mind and read those papers to the
judge, while at the therapeutic community she felt she was more helping others
and be able to tell others her story. Alexander says she still learned things
at West Central and benefited from both programs. She learned more of her
values, and tools to cope with her being, and staying sober. She is a believer
in both programs and believes they will both be helpful to anybody that is
suffering from addiction.
Additionally, after doing some
research judges were in favor of the drug court and the therapeutic
communities. However, in a personal email from Judge Davis he stated that he
would rather send a non-violent drug offender for their first time offense to a
therapeutic community, or place them on probation with community service hours.
He then stated if he sees them, again, in their courtroom he would send them to
prison, and maybe then, they would get a better understanding of the privilege
they were given the first time. As going further into my research, not one
judge has disagreed with the drug courts, and therapeutic communities.
According to Acosta and Keck (April 2009)
on cnnpolitics.com they reported
that Judge Paul Gluchowski dismissed that drug treatment court is the easy way
out. Vast amounts of offenders give up
because they say it is too hard, while some graduate, and the expression on
their face that they have accomplished something tremendous.
According to researchers, they
estimate that more than 50 percent of defendants convicted of a non-violent
drug crime will return to criminal behavior within two to three years after
graduating from drug court (United States
Department of Justice, 2009 para. 7). In 2006, more than two thousand
people in the United States were in drug court, and 16% were arrested again on
another felony charge (Wikipedia, 2009).
According to the United States Department of Justice, one that is sentenced to
prison is more than likely to get another felony charge within a year of being
out of prison. 20 percent of non-violent drug offenders will commit a new
felony charge because they will return to their old ways, and continued
behaviors because they cannot
find a job, while the other 80 percent will change their
lifestyles.
The Government is trying to help
non-violent drug offenders rather than be against them. In 2007, Congress has
put a bill in place called the Second Chance Act of 2005. The Second Chance Act
of 2005 has given the offenders that are not violent a second chance to be
given treatment instead of incarceration (Hauhart,
2007). In the article from cnnpolitics.com, “Vice
President Joe Biden stressed the importance of drug courts
and prisoner re-entry programs when he announced Kerlikowskes position on
March, saying they can serve as the light at the end of the tunnel, of a very
long, long dark tunnel for those who are stuck in the cycle of drug addiction
and incarceration.” The Government is trying to help the non-violent drug
offenders receive the help they need and want, but it is a tough battle to
fight. They have to face the drug war and the drug cartels that are bringing
the drugs into the United States (Acosta
2009, Keck 2009).
To hold a person in prison
according to the Florida Department of Corrections is $55.09 a day and $20,108
yearly. However, in California it is a much different story yearly to hold an
inmate it costs $47,102 (Edwards, 2009). In
California, they are putting the figures in health, security guard incomes,
food, education, dental care, and clothing. According to transworldnews.com
Americans on an average are paying 24 billion dollars yearly to hold a non- violent
drug offender. Certain states could save money on sending a first time non-violent
drug offender to treatment rather than to prison.
Finally, one would like to
challenge the citizens of America to help the non-violent drug offenders get
the help they need as being an addict; and not going to prison. While others
argue that sending them to prison is helping the addict, when it is not, many
woman and men are sentenced to prison each day as a non-violent offender, and
are taking up prison space for violent offenders that need to there. The prison
systems are overcrowded with non-violent drug offenders when they should be
overcrowded with pedophiles, rapists, murders, and many other violent offenders.
My challenge to you is to write the Governor of your state or Congress, and
state why one would think sending a non-violent drug offender to receive help
rather than prison is more beneficial, and given a second chance.
Rehabilitating a drug addict and teaching them a
new way of life is helping that person live a healthier
lifestyle than the one they were living before by doing drugs and being a
criminal.
Reference
United States Department of Justice. (2009, June 24). Retrieved August 5, 2009,
from http://www.usdoj.gov/
National Institute Drug Addiction. (2008, July 28). U.S. Department of Health and Human Service. Retrieved July 29, 2009,
from www.nida.nih.gov
CNNpolitics. (2009, August 16, 2009). Acosta and Kheck.
Retrieved August 5, 2009 from cnn.com/politics.
Real Cost of Prisoners. (2006-2009). Retrieved August 10,
2009 from realcostofprisoners.org.
Drug Abuse. (1999-2009). Retrieved August 10, 2009 from www.drugabuse.gov.
Drug offenders choose jail over treatment. Alcoholism and
Drug Abuse weekly (2005, June 5). V. 7(2). Newsletter. Retrieved August 16,
2009 from Gale Apollo Library.
Free up budget by releasing non-violent inmates. USA Today,
(2009, March 23). Newspaper. Retrieved August 16, 2009 from EBSCOhost.
