The debate on drug courts therapy is a main problem with politics with race, poverty, and drug cities (p.417). According to (Miller, 2009, p. 417) “Between 1986 and 1991, the number of white drug offenders in state prisons increased by 110 percent, but the number of black drug offenders rose by 465 percent”. Drug courts were ultimately used for overloaded court cases resulting in congested prisons (p.417). Programs were developed because of drug arrests and offenses that introduced drug courts (p.417). The role of the drug courts is to deter drug offenders and abusers from incarceration and into treatment programs (p.417).
M. Diaz 11 April 2012 Drugs in Prisons: Usage, Effects, and Intervention One might believe that incarceration would serve as an immediate cold-turkey rehabilitation for drug-using arrestees. However, contrary to this popular belief, more than half of incoming prisoners are dependent drug users (Gossop et al., 2000) and over 71 percent of prisoners reported dependent drug use during imprisonment (Strang et al., 2006). Drug use in prisons is not only a prevalent security and legal problem, but can also lead to the spread of diseases and increased violence. Intervention efforts must be made in order to combat this ever-increasing problem. A large number of these pre-imprisonment drug users persist the addiction throughout
(OJJDP 1994). Intensive supervision programs contain a wide range of programs and plans for the juvenile. Although ISP’s are used more commonly in the adult correctional system, ISP’s programs are aimed at the more serious offenders are being welcomed as an option in the juvenile justice systems throughout the country. According to the OJJDP, “The definition of juvenile offender varies among programs. For example, the chronic juvenile offender refers to the individual who began his or her delinquent career at an early age, has numerous minor offenses and for whom regular probation has been ineffective.” They believe that the ISP’s can work for those juveniles who have committed more serious but nonviolent offenses as well.
This example is a typical instance in which a crime committed many years ago has been re-invented to suit the nature of the century. New methods of policing, protection and regulating have been introduced, making crimes much harder to commit – Therefore, the crimes have been altered to suit the new changes. Another reason as to why crime hasn’t changed to an extremity over the past 200 years is because the same crimes can now be committed via new technology. Since the invention of the computer, cell phone and other every-day technologies, the public are now more convenient to trick and fraud. For instance, impersonating a person in order to steal a substantial amount of money from them has been a common crime for hundreds of years.
Community Corrections also known as probation or parole is the means of supervising felons and misdemeanants outside of a correctional facility. There is a common misconception among the American people that when a person commits a crime, then he or she will be removed from their community or society and put into a correctional facility. Foster Burke (2006). Community corrections can be very beneficial to the individuals who are placed on probation in a sense that it gives the offenders a second chance to redeem what they have done wrong in their communities. Community corrections vary from city to city and state to state.
Due to increasing violence and gang activity numerous steps are now being implemented address gain affiliation in our prison system. Contrary to most of societies popular beliefs, gang affiliated inmates do not make up the majority of incarcerated inmates. In a 2002 national survey only 15,398 gang affiliated inmates were locked-up in state and federal prisons. Many states reported fewer than 1000 gang affiliated inmates in their correctional system. (Kawucha, Marquart, & R, 2006) Despite gang member’s low numbers in correctional facilities, the problems they cause are
Wheeler recommends this reformulation because there is increasing recognition that deviance depends on a social definition. Therefore, any analysis of crime data should recognize not only those who commit crimes, but also those who define the behavior as criminal. Wheeler compares crime data to data on admission to and release from mental hospitals, arguing that neither can be understood by referring only to the characteristics of the subjects. Patients referred to child guidance clinics by doctors are admitted more quickly than are those referred by members of their families; people with higher socioeconomic status can get their family members into mental hospitals more quickly than people from lower classes can. In these cases the reaction of others important in determining who is labeled
Jewel A. Binns Jr. Dr. DAVID R. MONTAGUE Criminal Justice Policy 982 16 December 2014 The Mentally ill in the Criminal Justice System INTRODUCTION The criminal justice system is confronted with many issues, but in recent years police are having increased contact with individuals with mental health issues. The cause of the increased contact can be contributed to individuals with mental health issues have been moved from facilities into community programs. This move from more restrictive facilities to community setting has increased the probability that encounters between individuals with mental illness and law enforcement officers. The result of these encounters can affect the whole criminal justice system. PROBLEM STATEMENT It has been estimated that 1.2 million individuals suffer from some type of mental illness.
This steady rise in the age of inmates incarcerated throughout the United States can be traced back to an increasing crime rate through the 1980’s and early 1990’s and the “get tough” response by legislating bodies and law enforcement. In order to relieve the burden caused by the aging population in the prison system, alternative resolutions to punitive punishment must be found. These include early release for inmates who no longer pose a threat to society, restructuring mandatory-minimum sentences and creating geriatric units for elderly inmates. Introduction Elderly or geriatric prisoners are creating problems for correctional facilities, legislators, as well as state and federal budgets. From 1992 to January 1, 2001, the number of inmates age 50 and older jumped from 41, 586 to 113,358 (Camp & Camp, 1992 – 2001).
Homework Assignment # 11 – Ethics in Criminal Justice How has penal philosophies shifted within the last few decades? The past two decades have produced a profound and historic shift in the use of imprisonment within the United States. The philosophy towards incarceration and its purpose has shifted from one of rehabilitation between the turn of the century and the middle of the 20th century to a philosophy of deterrence and, more recently, retribution. At one time, it seemed that prison was reserved for violent offenders who posed a threat to public safety and to those who were repeatedly convicted for felonious acts. More recently, a heightened fear of crime among the voting public coupled with economic prosperity has created a criminal