Introduction: The abuse of illegal drugs should be treated as a matter of public health instead of criminal justice. For years, jails have failed at providing efficient solutions for the rehabilitation of drug users. This is why it is necessary to provide better alternatives within the public health system. I believe that exploring the decriminalization of illegal substances would not only help stop the war on drugs, but also help protect society as a whole. My value: Public and individual health Definitions
Decriminalization: the lessening of criminal penalties in relation to certain acts.
Rehabilitation: the act of restoring something to its original state. Criterion one: Public health can be used to not only help those who are in need of rehabilitation, but also work to prevent it in the first place. Most drug usage can result in impaired judgement, poor anger management, and violent behaviors. All of these results can cause an individual to commit a criminal offense, and therefore being put into a prison. Public health can prevent all of this from happening in the first place, which will drastically result the seven million adults who are involved in the criminal justice system due to drug usage. (2004 survey done by the U.S. Department of Justice) Criterion 2: Public health rehabilitation centers are much safer and more reliable than prisons. In 2012 alone, over 4,300 inmates died while in the custody of local jails or state prisons. (National Bureau of Prisons) This shows that prison is extremely dangerous and not suitable for recovering drug addicts. In fact, most drug offenders will return to jail only after a few years because they do not deal with the core issue of their complex problems. (justicepolicy.org) However, most public health rehabilitation centers are able to help them effectively deal with their issues, unlike prison. Criterion three: Many prisons do not make treatment a priority, despite clear benefits to offenders, their families, and communities. According to a survey done in 2004. 40 percent of State and 49 percent of Federal inmates took part in some kind of drug program, but most were not able to receive the treatment they needed to recover. Drug addiction recovery requires effective treatment, followed by management of the problems over time. In order for treatment to be effective, treatment that starts in jail or prison must continue after a prisoner is released. However, most prisons and jails do not provide a treatment plan that continues after release, which will often cause prisoners to relapse. Conclusion: Prisons simply do not provide the effective treatment that public health rehabilitation centers provide. In order to help cure a drug addiction, individuals must use treatment that lasts long enough to produce stable behavioral change. In addition to this, treatment must take place in a safe environment, and the increasing number of deaths in prison show that imprisonment is not the correct solution. Finally, public health can help prevent drug addiction in the first place, which would eliminate the need for drug …show more content…
Drugs and substance abuse harm the individual and the population as a whole. The only way to help the public is to get rid of drugs, and to help those who are already addicted and affected. If you are addicted to a drug, most the time you do not want to stop abusing these substances. The only way we can help these individuals is if we get them into treatment and away from the substances they use. If they don’t want this help, then force must be used, such as forced rehabilitation or restrictions on drug use. This is where criminal justice comes into …show more content…
While you 're in jail or prison, you have barely anything to do. Therefore, inmates have a vast amount of time on their hands. It is very difficult to get harmful substances in jail, so these inmates who were sentenced to jail time because of substance abuse now have nothing and nothing to do. This is why it is a great time to get these inmates into rehab to help them. Also, this rehabilitation is free because it is paid by the communities tax dollars. One third of inmates in the U.S. are in jail because either they were caught abusing a substance, or later admitted being on an illegal substance while committing a crime. Also, criminals can be offered a sentence to rehab instead of jail in states that allow
Decriminalization: the lessening of criminal penalties in relation to certain acts.
Rehabilitation: the act of restoring something to its original state. Criterion one: Public health can be used to not only help those who are in need of rehabilitation, but also work to prevent it in the first place. Most drug usage can result in impaired judgement, poor anger management, and violent behaviors. All of these results can cause an individual to commit a criminal offense, and therefore being put into a prison. Public health can prevent all of this from happening in the first place, which will drastically result the seven million adults who are involved in the criminal justice system due to drug usage. (2004 survey done by the U.S. Department of Justice) Criterion 2: Public health rehabilitation centers are much safer and more reliable than prisons. In 2012 alone, over 4,300 inmates died while in the custody of local jails or state prisons. (National Bureau of Prisons) This shows that prison is extremely dangerous and not suitable for recovering drug addicts. In fact, most drug offenders will return to jail only after a few years because they do not deal with the core issue of their complex problems. (justicepolicy.org) However, most public health rehabilitation centers are able to help them effectively deal with their issues, unlike prison. Criterion three: Many prisons do not make treatment a priority, despite clear benefits to offenders, their families, and communities. According to a survey done in 2004. 40 percent of State and 49 percent of Federal inmates took part in some kind of drug program, but most were not able to receive the treatment they needed to recover. Drug addiction recovery requires effective treatment, followed by management of the problems over time. In order for treatment to be effective, treatment that starts in jail or prison must continue after a prisoner is released. However, most prisons and jails do not provide a treatment plan that continues after release, which will often cause prisoners to relapse. Conclusion: Prisons simply do not provide the effective treatment that public health rehabilitation centers provide. In order to help cure a drug addiction, individuals must use treatment that lasts long enough to produce stable behavioral change. In addition to this, treatment must take place in a safe environment, and the increasing number of deaths in prison show that imprisonment is not the correct solution. Finally, public health can help prevent drug addiction in the first place, which would eliminate the need for drug …show more content…
Drugs and substance abuse harm the individual and the population as a whole. The only way to help the public is to get rid of drugs, and to help those who are already addicted and affected. If you are addicted to a drug, most the time you do not want to stop abusing these substances. The only way we can help these individuals is if we get them into treatment and away from the substances they use. If they don’t want this help, then force must be used, such as forced rehabilitation or restrictions on drug use. This is where criminal justice comes into …show more content…
While you 're in jail or prison, you have barely anything to do. Therefore, inmates have a vast amount of time on their hands. It is very difficult to get harmful substances in jail, so these inmates who were sentenced to jail time because of substance abuse now have nothing and nothing to do. This is why it is a great time to get these inmates into rehab to help them. Also, this rehabilitation is free because it is paid by the communities tax dollars. One third of inmates in the U.S. are in jail because either they were caught abusing a substance, or later admitted being on an illegal substance while committing a crime. Also, criminals can be offered a sentence to rehab instead of jail in states that allow