Treatment VS. Prison

The other day I was watching Nancy Grace and she was talking about a story in San Diego, California. A 10 year old boy stabbed his best friend charged him with 1st degree murder. I started reading up on this and the victims parents said "Please do not make this boy look like a monster, he is not". Nancy Grace started talking about if this 10 year old boys goes to Juvenile Detention Center until 25 he will come out like a raging tiger ready to prowl. Why? Because there is NO proper treatment in prisons or jails. I do agree with this...the 10 year old was on medications, and had an anger problem he needs help and some jail time for what he did.

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

      Standing up in front of the judge pleading my case to not go to prison was very uncomfortable. As a non-violent drug offender, she had the opportunity to get help, and not go to prison, but to receive rehab. When one goes to prison as a non-violent offender one learns new things when stepping back out into society in many cases how to be an improved criminal. An offender going to prison has a higher chance to re-offend and to receive new felony charges. While in a therapeutic community, you are handed new tools to live a sober lifestyle. Non-violent drug offenders deserve a second chance at life rather than living in prison. While some people think that non-violent drug offenders should go prison; to only learn new criminal ways, others have different opinions.

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.