Should Violent Drug Offenders Be Prison - 1049 Words

There has been debate over whether non-violent drug offenders belong in prison. Some believe all drug offenders should be put in prison, others believe that it depends on circumstances, and, still others believe only violent drug offenders should be incarcerated. Overcrowding is one point of contention. It seems as though the slightest infraction can land a person in prison. Violence is rampant, whether inmate versus inmate or inmate versus guard. Rehabilitation or education is practically non-existent, unless an inmate teaching another inmate how to commit the ‘perfect’ crime is counted. Evidence shows being in prison does little to rehabilitate an inmate. Clearly, the system does not work. Freedom The incarceration rate in America is high. In fact, the highest in the world (Zuckerman, 2014). But should it be? According to Bibas (2015), â€Å"Though America is home to only about one-twentieth of the world’s population, we house almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners.† (para. 1). America, it seems, in its ‘War on Drugs’, has been incarcerating criminals, even non-violent drug offenders, at a high rate. As more offenders are being incarcerated, more stories are being written, including horror stories about what goes on behind prison walls. Considering the nature of some of the crimes committed by inmates, and being mixed in with the violent criminals, non-violent offenders have no place in this hell. Because of overcrowding, abuse of the inmates, and the lackShow MoreRelatedNon-Violent Drug Offenders -Porp. 361741 Words   |  7 PagesHave you heard the phrase prisons are over populated!? Statistics show 21.2% of low level drug offenders, that are incarcerated, do not have any current or prior violence in their records, no involvement in sophisticated criminal activity and no prior commitment. (USDOJ) Could this be the problem of prisons being over populated? There are many factors that need t o be considered when looking for other possible methods of dealing with non-violent drug offenders. Some lawmakers believe the onlyRead More Nonviolent Offenders Essay1495 Words   |  6 PagesNonviolent Offenders – Is Incarceration the Answer? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; â€Å"It’s really clear that the most effective way to turn a nonviolent person into a violent one is to send them to prison,† says Harvard University criminologist James Gilligan. The American prison system takes nonviolent offenders and makes them live side-by-side with hardened killers. The very nature of prison, no matter people view it, produces an environment that is inevitably harmful to its residentsRead MoreEssay about Negative Consequences of Mandatory Sentencing747 Words   |  3 Pagesinto motion. The original goals of the mandatory sentencing laws were to stop repeat offenders and to exhibit a get tough attitude on crime. These laws have not been working as intended, instead mandatory sentencing has led to some unfortunate consequences. Some of these consequences are overcrowding in prisons and less prison based rehabilitation. Mandatory sentencing laws do not narrowly target major drug traffickers. Today there are 100 separate federal mandatory minimums located in 60 differentRead MoreThe United States Prisons And Federal Prisons959 Words   |  4 Pagesand Federal Prisons. The number of incarcerations have been on the rise since 1980 and it continues to quadruple. State and federal prisons are over crowed with non-violent offenses. With overcrowded jails it has caused the economy more money and created dangerous living environments. Instead of incarceration what should be given is a realistic alternative for their actions. The government will also spend less money. Non-violent offenders are taking up over 60 percent of American prisons. The majorityRead MoreMandatory Sentencing For Non Violent Crime1050 Words   |  5 Pagesovercrowding within the prison system and one has factored in all reasons that can lead up to the cause of overcrowding in order to find a solution to this tremendous issue. Mandatory Sentencing To begin, mandatory sentencing for non-violent and drug- related crimes should be eliminated. This law was established to dispose of the drugs masters and to reduce the selling of drugs in neighborhoods. However, this resulted in an adverse effect; with nonviolent drug and first time offenders getting brutal sentencesRead More235764916 CJA 394 Week 1 Criminal Justice Overview Paper SAMPLE page only1665 Words   |  7 PagesSelect one of the following issues: †¢ Racial profiling †¢ Prison overcrowding †¢ The war on drugs †¢ Increased use of technology †¢ Cultural diversity Write a 1,050- to 1,705-word paper addressing how your selected issue affects the criminal justice system as a whole. †¢ Describe some of the change(s) the criminal justice system as a whole has made in response to the issue you selected. †¢ Include your opinion on whether the changes are sufficient. Should more changes be made, and if so, what changes?   FormatRead MoreThe Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws1613 Words   |  7 Pagesirrevocable prison terms of a specific length for people convicted of particular federal and state crimes. As of January 2014, more than 50 percent of inmates in federal prisons are serving time for drug offenses, and more than 60 percent of people incarcerated are racial and ethnic minorities. The use of safety valves and implementation of the Fair Sentencing Act are a few methods Congress employed to combat racial disparity in prisons. Mandatory minimum sentencing harshly punishes non-violent offendersRead MoreSentencing Guidelines For Non Violent Drug Offenders1371 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States’ prison population is currently number one in the world. As a nation that proclaims freedom for citizens, the United States houses more than one million more persons than Russian and almost one million more persons than China. Currently, the United States makes up five percent of the worldâ€℠¢s population and imprisons twenty-five percent of the world’s inmate population. Drug offenders who committed no act of violence make up a large portion of the inmates in the United States. CountyRead MoreMandatory Minimum Sentencing Guidelines For The United States853 Words   |  4 PagesEventually, the government is going to realize that they are wasting money and putting people’s lives in danger. Overcrowded prisons are a threat to everyone involved. To alleviate the situation, correctional institutions need to downsize inmate populations. I believe one of the main reasons prisons are overcrowded is due to mandatory minimum sentencing. The U.S has very strict sentencing guidelines when it comes to sentencing. According to Hooker and Hirsh, â€Å"A felony conviction generally, by lawRead MoreMandatory Minimum Sentencing On Violent Crimes Essay1492 Words   |  6 PagesCanon Mandatory Minimum Sentencing on Violent Crimes Crime in America is growing at a substantial rate and repeat offenders are playing a huge roll in this growth. Mandatory minimum sentences, first established in Connecticut in 1969 and expanded throughout the 1980s and 1990s, exemplify a shift in public policy to impose a specific amount of imprisonment based on the crime committed and the defendant’s criminal history, and away from other individual offender characteristics and circumstances. A