The work is devoted to the discussion of the main problems and challenges, which exist in the modern corrections system in the USA. The problems which will be addressed in the paper will be the HIV among inmates, especially women-inmates, mental diseases in prisons and drugs abuse; they are interrelated and the discussion of these problems will be based on the six articles (see the References list) Prison Adaptation The six articles have been grouped together as being related to the same general topic: different challenges and problems, presented by the modern corrections system in the United States. The problems of HIV infected inmates, problems of drug abuse, reintegration of the parolees and mental illnesses among the incarcerated set a number of questions which should be solved on the state level. The common feature of the six articles lies in informing the reader about the problems in the corrections system, and the articles inform each other with exchanging and adding the information. The line of the drug abuse problem is viewed through several articles, touching the drug abuse itself, with the problem of HIV infected inmates and the life after the substance abuse for the parolees.
The Essay on Abuse And Drug Use
In "Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Women Participating in Outpatient Drug Abuse Treatment" Ms. Gil-Rivas, Mr. Fiorentine, and Mr. Anglin discuss the role played by abuse in the success or failure of treatment of drug abuse. There is indication that sexual and physical abuse results in an increased level of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Sexual ...
Drug abuse itself ‘represents significant problem of adjustment to institutional life’ (Gillespie, 2005), but it also increases the risk of spreading the HIV among the inmates, and decreases the possibility of the parolees and released for reintegration into the normal life. Simultaneously, the problem of mental diseases in prisons not only touches the necessity for better medical treatment and poses the ethical problems relating to whether mentally ill criminals should be sent to prisons of general jurisdiction, but shows the way the stigma of being mentally ill may influence the life of the stigmatized inmate and often lead to him being victimized. In relation to the drug abuse, it has been found that the level of drug abuse in prisons is mainly determined by the demographic and theoretical variables, that is, ‘as an inmate’s age increased, the extent of his drug-related behavior inside prison declined’. (Gillespie, 2005) The increase in drug abuse activity was also connected with the longer terms of incarceration and was traditionally higher among non-Whites; one of the important factors in defining the level of drug abuse in all prisons was the negative evaluation of the prison rules. However, the main finding of this work may be expressed in the following way: the predictability of the drug abuse in prisons relating to the exact person lies in the combination of the inmate’s past and the institutional features (prison crowding).
The article which is devoted to the discussion of the substance offenders in their reintegration processes shows the limitations to which parolee officers are bound, thus giving little opportunity to prevent the recidivism in relation to this category of the population. The topic of drugs is directly related to the issue of HIV/AIDS among inmates, as according to Lanier (2005), drugs serve as one of the main ways for spreading the virus. The two articles relating to the issue of HIV/AIDS are different in their conclusions and may even be opposed to each other. One of them shows the existence of no difference between male and female inmates in their needs for additional medical treatment in case they are HIV/AIDS infected. The author (Lanier, 2005) also states, that ‘inmates who are HIV positive have a similar hierarchy of needs as non-HIV individuals’. Simultaneously, not a single HIV infected inmate among the respondents has expressed his (her) concern for the prevention of the HIV spreading, which is explained by the fact that having already been infected, the prevention concern does not touch them personally. However, Zaitzow (2001) writes that female HIV-infected inmates ‘often require more medical attention than men’, which is connected with the specifics of their reproductive systems and the organism as a whole.
The Essay on Drug Abuse 19
Drug Abuse: Cracking Down On Those Who Use An estimated 14.8 million Americans were current users of illegal drugs in 1999, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.(Highlights) Drugs have been a problem in America for many years. There have been many proposals on how to reduce the problem, none of which have had much success. Drugs are easily available to almost anyone who wants them. ...
The article notes that the idea of screening the inmates for the subject of HIV is controversial, as it may create the false knowledge of safety though the production of inaccurate results, and as the HIV infected inmates stay among the general prison population, the ethical questions of their segregation and separation from the healthy environment is posed more and more often. It is often that offenders are put in jails and prisons having serious mental diseases. Lovell & al. (2001) states, that the McNeil program, aimed at rehabilitation and medication of those who have severe mental problems, providing the opportunities for better environment, psycho educational classes and careful monitoring of mentally ill inmates. It has been discovered, that despite the frequent reluctance of mentally ill prisoners to take part in any similar programs, their attitude afterwards has always changed to the positive one, especially in relation to the psycho educational programs. Edwards (2000) views the problem from the other standpoint being stigmatized as mentally ill in prison often leads to the victimization and lower status of stigmatized in relation to general population, making ex-offenders preferable for different life options more than ex-mentally ill. The strengths of all the arguments shown in the articles are in them being an attempt for offering solutions to the major problems of the modern corrections system, but these arguments also have a number of weaknesses. They often vary from article to article, at times being controversial, which is viewed in the case with the issues of medical treatment for HIV/AIDS infected inmates. Simultaneously, some arguments are limited by the reluctance and refusal of the inmates from participation in the research or by the more theoretical than applicable character of the results.
The Essay on Issues Regarding Juvenile Offenders and Juvenile Justice
The Misconceptions-Although there is a widespread perception that teen violence in the United States is out of control, the truth is that our overall perceptions are fueled by dramatic occurrences that do not quite reflect reality.For example, fewer than 20 children under the age of 14 commit murder in any given year.-Homicides committed by juveniles are relatively rare, accounting for only 14% of ...
However, the importance of the arguments should not be underestimated, as they present the further ways of solving the existing problems, with the practical shifting of the suggested solutions. In relation to HIV/AIDS problems, there is given enough evidence for the administration for realizing the need of meeting the basic needs of the infected inmates; the problem of released ex-offenders on parole may put a major threat to the surrounding community in case parole officers have the limitations in their access to the control and view of the released, and this may also serve as a possible evidence and suggestion to the administration. It appears, that public does not know much about the real state of affairs in terms of corrections system of the US, the traditional views are supported by the evidence of the huge number of HIV infected inmates, and the danger of them after being released from prisons. The problems, with which inmates have to cope inside the prison, touching the issues of mental diseases and drug abuse, are hardly unknown to the public. The information presented in the articles has absolutely changed my views for the corrections system in the country. The problems describe appeared to be more serious than I had supposed before, with opening new challenging issues, which should be addressed by the state in its striving for giving equal rights and protecting the ethics of all members of the society without any relation to their legal status. References (1) Belenko, Steven.
(2006, January) ‘Assessing released inmates for substance-abuse-related service needs’. Crime & Delinquency, vol. 52, issue 1, 94-113 (2) Edwards, Anthony K. (2000).
‘Stigmatizing the stigmatized: a note on the mentally ill prison inmate’. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, vol. 44, issue 4, 480-489 (3) Gillespie, Wayne.
(2005, June, 2) ‘A multilevel model of drug abuse inside prison.’ The Prison Journal, vol. 85, issue 2, 223-246 (4) Lanier, Mark M. & Paoline, Eugene A. III. ‘Expressed needs and behavioral risk factors of HIV-positive inmates’. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, vol. 49, issue 5, 561-573 (5) Lovell, David, Johnson, Clark, Jemelka, Ron, Harris, Victoria & Allen, David. (2001, December) ‘Living in prison after residential mental health treatment: a program follow-up’.
The Essay on Control And Punishment Crime Prison Problems
Better Alternatives Other Than Control and Punishment Society has other alternatives to decreasing crime than simply locking people in prison. Preventative programs focus on the community, school, family, employment and places. In addition, there are rehabilitation and restorative justice programs that can also be used to decrease crime. Prisons are the only alternatives we hear about from ...
The Prison Journal, vol. 81, issue 4, 473-490 (6) Zaitzow, Barbara H. (2001).
‘Whose problem is it anyway? Women prisoners and HIV/AIDS’. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, vol. 45, issue 6, 673-690.
