Is Drug Treatment a Viable Alternative to Prison Time Essay

Prisons and county jails are extremely over populated, so over populated that in some jails inmates are sleeping on the floors. According to Senator Jeanne Shaheen (From Senator Jeanne Shaheen: Prison Overcrowding, 2011), the federal prisons are currently 35 percent over their capacity. The overcrowding is costing the criminal justice system and taxpayers more money to transfer inmates to other facilities and in lawsuits brought by inmates against the prisons. With the prisons and county jails facing major overcrowding issues and drug treatment programs being a viable alternative to prison time, more states need to be implementing drug / treatment programs. Treatment / Drug Courts are specialized courts to help stop drug, alcohol, and†¦show more content†¦Some experts believe that the Drug / Treatment Courts and diversion programs utilizing alternatives to prison time is the reason for the decline in prison population. According to Judge Vito P. Geroulo (Schillinger, 201 0), the national decline might be a sign that other areas are starting to use treatment courts†¦ However, according to Todd Berry, president of the Wisconsin Taxpayer Alliance (Hrodey, 2011), the reduction of prison population may be due to changing demographics in Wisconsin. The changing demographics might be playing a role in the decreasing prison population in Wisconsin; on the other hand, this is not the only factor playing a role in the decrease. The U.S. Department of Justice is reporting the local government prison population has declined 2.3 percent from June 2008 to June 2009 (Schillinger, 2010). Therefore, prison population is decreasing in the United States as a whole, not just in one state. In the United States today, there are many budget and funding cuts, utilizing Drug / Treatment Courts are a more cost effective way of sentencing, saving the criminal justice system and taxpayers money. The average daily cost of Drug court/Treatment Court is 72 percent to 80 percent less than other traditional sentencing options (Brogdon, 2010). Utlizing Drug / Treatment Courts can save the criminalShow MoreRelatedRehabilitation vs Incarceration1515 Words   |  7 Pagesthink that is the big problem about the prison system: These people are being thrown away. There is no sense of rehabilitation. In some places, they are trying to do things. But, in most cases, it is a holding cell.† (Tergeson, 2002) He speaks the truth. Those incarcerated today are not given the chance to change their behavior patterns, especially when it is in regard to drug addiction. The criminal justice system in general does not consider drug abuse as anything but a crime and does notRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States908 Words   |  4 Pagesthere were 1,574,700 people serving time in state and federal penitentiaries (Carson, 2014, p.1). This alarming number gives reason for the need of alternatives to incarceration. Avoiding imprisonment does not translate to a lenient punitive sentence for the alternatives can just as easily repair harms to the victims, provide benefits to the community, treat the drug addicted, and rehabilitate offenders (FAMM, 2013, p.1). The use of programs that offer an alternative to incarceration can reduce the amountRead MoreThe Flaws of Incarceration in America Essay1366 Words   |  6 Pagesthan any other country. America is responsible for a quarter of the world’s inmates, and it s incarceration rate is growing exponentially. The expense generated by these overcrowded prisons cost the country a substantial amount of money every year. While people are incarcerated for a number of reasons, the country’s prisons are focused on punishment rather than reform, and the result is a misguided system that fails to rehabilitate criminals or discourage crime. The ineffectiveness of the United States’Read MoreThe Three Strikes Law : Narrowing1336 Words   |  6 Pagesbroken† attitude (Sutton 1). However, what may not be completely broken still needs a major renovation, especially when it comes to non-person felonies, specifically drug related crimes. Drug related crimes, still a part of the Three Strikes Law in many states come with a multitude of issues, yet I believe offering some sort of treatment option will prevent excess costs that follow the Three Strikes Law, and perhaps even prevent further crimes from happening. In order to present the best case, I willRead MoreEssay The War on Drugs1347 Words   |  6 PagesWAR ON DRUGS Abstract Because of the war on drugs, prison overcrowding is vastly becoming a problem of astronomical proportion, putting a strain not only on the system of law enforcement, but on citizens as well. With studies in DNA and other forensic sciences that can pin point with exact precision the perpetrator of a crime; more and more criminal offenders are being caught, tried, and imprisoned for the crimes they have committed. Many of these crimes are initiated by the use of drugs, suchRead MoreEssay about The Growth of Adult Corrections in the United States1472 Words   |  6 Pagesmajorities are non-violent offenders. In â€Å"U.S. Prison Population Dwarfs that of Other Nations,† Adam Liptak states â€Å"The United States has, for instance, 2.3 million criminals behind bars, more than any other nation, according to data maintained by the International Center for Prison Studies at Kings College London.† Americans are arrested for things as minor as using drugs or writing a bad check. Residing someone to a prison should be our last alternative because it’s costly and can raise risk forRead MoreDrug Courts And The Criminal Justice System1506 Words   |  7 PagesDrug courts are considered to be one of the most successful innovations to be implemented in the criminal justice system. It was first implemented during the height of the drug war hysteria and the long epidemic of the skyrocketing rates of incarceration. According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance (2010), drug courts are a â€Å"specially designed court docket, whose purpose is to achieve a reduction in recidivism and substance abuse among nonviolent substance abusing offenders and to increase theRead MoreOpiate Addiction1214 Words   |  5 Pagesto be a viable solution here, but where does one start? Simply, the addict should be aided with fundamental assistance and training to begin to assimilate, and society at large should be helped to better understand and foster an attitude of understanding and patience based on education that is not fear-based; as has historically been the case. Analogously, this is best summarized by saying, â€Å"The public’s general lack of accurate information about drugs has led to irrational fears about drug use andRead MoreArticle Report On Overcrowding Of Prison Overcrowding1074 Words   |  5 Pages Clark, Charles S. Prison Overcrowding. CQ Researcher 4 Feb. 1994: 97-120. Web. 26 Mar. 2016. This article discusses overcrowding in the United States prison system, due in part to mandatory prison sentences. Additionally, this article also discusses the challenges in managing the overpopulation of prisons and gives an objective look at solutions, to include building more prisons, to combat overcrowding. While the author does not include information about himself and his qualifications, hisRead More Drugs Essay1467 Words   |  6 Pagestypical politicians are afraid to address is that of what to do with the nation’s illegal drug problems. Although we hear terms like quot;The War on Drugsquot; and quot;Drug Treatmentquot;, a fresh approach to this issue is needs to come soon. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The country should take a new look at drug legalization as a solution to a problem that has been long out of control. Addiction and drug abuse are such â€Å"buzzwords† these days that a clarification is needed of what is meant by