America's drug policy sucks!!?

Question

Why are people being locked up for non-violent drug crimes. These people have a disease and the only hope for them is treatment. The annual cost for an inmate to stay in prison is about $25,000. The cost of an inpatient drug treatment center is $9,000. Yet only 40% of our prisons have drug treament programs, when 80% of inmates have a substance abuse problem!!

So who beliefs this too?

Sorry "believes"

So you'd rather have your tax dollars annually contribute to somebody in jail who will probably be back for the same offense unless treated? Give me a break. You probably never made a mistake huh? The problem with their mistake is it changed their brain functions!!

Hey martinam...do some research on addiction...And in violent crimes, punishment must come because there was an actual victim involved

Answer 1

Of course you are right! Look at Canada. They have a very successful drug treatment for non-violent drug addicts and they avoid the cost and ineffectiveness of our system.
The thing that bugs me the most about this country (aside from Bush and his cronies) is the fact when we have proof something else works we don't try it. Our whole system is shot and needs a complete work over.
I am glad someone else can see this!

Answer 2

For some reason society often is reactive rather than proactive.

So who pays the $9000 for the inpatient drug treatment? I know my employers benefits include drug treatment programs but a large number of people don't have coverage or plans that include treatment for this. I also find that figure to be exceptionally low so I'm guessing you really mean outpatient.

Should non-violent drug crimes lead to a lockup? Maybe not for the first offense or two. Should a person convicted be required to complete a session at a drug treatment center? I'm going to say yes to that but I'd require that they pay for it out of their own pocket or be forced into a government run facility.

I'm actually guessing that most first time drug convicts aren't going to jail initially so the ones in jail are likely repeat offenders who don't want to be treated or don't have the support system (family/friends) to help them through it. You can only try to help a person so much before you give up on them as a hopeless cause.

Answer 3

American Drug policy is not "Just say no, its just fly Low!" Despite what people think, our prison system is about commerce and the revenues that are generated on both sides; whether that be the user/dealer vs law enforcement/courts/prison system. It is this Hegelian dialectic of Thesis + antithesis = synthesis that drives this big business forward. Unfortunately, as you mentioned above, there are a lot of non-violent drug offenders who are being locked up in order to support this abomination.
What gets me angry over this issue is the failure of the American public to look at the causes instead of the symptoms of the illicit drug trade; which is at the root of this capitalist venture. Has anyone ever taken the time to research that we've had two presidents heavily involved in the importation of drugs into this country. That's Right! This operation was called the "Enterprise" under Reagan's National Security Council and was headed up by Vice President Bush. It also involved Govenor Bill Clinton in his complicit oversight of drugs being brought into Mena, Arkansas. White House journalist Sarah McClellan (sic) even confronted President Bill Clinton on the illegal drug activities going on in his very state. Iran/Contra was not about covering up the illegal sales of weapons for hostages, but the covering up of the massive movement of drugs coming into this country. This is the "cause" of our drug problem that first needs to be addressed before we can get at the symptoms that perpetuate the availability of drugs that puts people in jail. And here's the laugher, the Bush family owns a large number of shares in Correctional Corporation. Until we Americans get it through our heads that this is not a Republican vs Democrat issue, then I fear the "just fly low" policy will continue unabated.

Answer 4

here is your answer, you have to remember most prisons are now privately owned and run, they get a certain amount of money per prisoner per year by the state the prison is in, so in order to make a profit you need to keep the jails full, right make sense so far? OK so now you have a jail to fill in order to make money, who do you really want in these jails, keep in mind they are thinking as a business not as a citizen, as a citizen you want all people in jail that belong there, but as a company that now needs to keep and work around these people every day who do you want in there, someone who has killed a few people and never has a chance to get out, what do they have to loose? nothing they are in for life, these are the trouble makers, a guard bothers you, so you just kill him, your in for life, what difference does it make, none. now what if you have a bunch of drug addicts in the jail, all they want to do is get high and kick back and do nothing, and not only that now you have created another from of revenue, if you have been to jail then you know you can get drugs easier inside than you can outside, sure it costs you more but it is everywhere! someone is making big bucks somewhere,and it is not always the inmates. so now you have a jail full of drug users getting their drugs and just passing the time away! you have less attacks on guards and less violence in general in your population.

Answer 5

Our entire drug policy, and for that matter many others as well are poorly thought out, often, as in "The War On Drugs", not only unwinnable, but the largest cause of all the crime associated with those drugs. Our laws also create a large body of criminals who really were mostly guilty of bad judgement, or having weak self control.

What is truly absurd about most of the drug laws, is the dishonest way in which they are presented, and that the absolutely false assumption are made on why their were passed in the first place. Almost every single drug law in this country was originally passed as a way of separating a specific group or race, or as a tool to effectively stigmatize them. The few hat weren't passed for those reasons, were done for strictly economic ones, where a small elite group benefitted greatly by them. The rest are merely rote additions to existing laws to account for drugs not known back when the original laws were passed.

In many cases the laws are not even consistent, or valid in defining a drug. For instance, many are considered by law to be a narcotic, which by definaition can only consist of opiates, and their lab created analogs. Therefore a drug like cocaine can not by definition be a narcotic. The greatest hypocracy of all where drug laws are concerned, is that the most destructive, and dangerous one is legal, or at least legal for adults, despite years of evidence proving it's damage to society as a whole. The reason for that, simply being that Prohibition was a failure, as it proved impossible to stop people from drinking, and all prohibition caused was creating crime, and making criminals rich supplying alcohol. it also made criminals out of otherwise good citizens. Despite the obvious fact that this is also true for all other drugs, no one, or few people seem willing to accept this truth.

Answer 6

I think the answer to your question is quite simple. Don't do drugs if it is against the law. WHY should it be against the law ONLY if the crime is violent?

WHY should the tax payer have to foot the bill for a criminal's drug problem? If they sit in jail long enough they will be off drugs cold turkey. Keep them in longer to be sure and then MAYBE they won't go back to drugs when they are released. That way no one is stuck with their rehab bill and eventually all the drug dealers will be put out of business.

There you go, problem solved. Say thank you.

Answer 7

Are you guys awake? Seriously? Do you know how light the courts take it on drug offenses anymore? Spending a few days in jail for selling weed is a light sentence. I really question whether or not you are paying any attention to the sentences drug dealers get as of the last few years. Wake up, read a little info, find out before you ask a question about something because drug crimes get less and less crime everyday.

Answer 8

What's your question?

OK, well I think that luckily many communities are taking it upon themselves tohelp solve the problem. For instance, our local court has introduced several alternatives to jail time, including inpatient and outpatient drug treatment programs. These changes have been made in the recent legislative session. Perhaphs you should write to your local politicians and encourage moving towards the same direction in your community.

Answer 9

I question your statistics. It costs a lot more than $25,000 a year per inmate. But I totally agree with your point of view. Right wingers refuse to even consider that drug addiction and alcoholism are diseases. They'd rather punish people and rule over them. It is totally unreasonable.

Answer 10

A disease of their own making. IMHO, druggies and AIDs and a few others shold be rounded up and put to sleep. Why should my tax dollars pay for some sleaze bag that decided to inject or snort that stuff.