Corrections Facility
What contemporary problems exist within the U.S. corrections system? Explain.
The first issue that exits with the U.S. corrections system is that of priorities. The system is inherently reactive as oppose to proactive in regards to preventing future offenses. I believe the U.S. corrections system can do much more in regards to education, follow up, and subsequent matriculation into general society. More emphasis should first be placed on properly educating those in the corrections system. It is very common for individuals to repeat crimes due in part to lack of skills to enter the workforce. This is now becoming especially true as individuals are now competing for fewer jobs within the overall U.S. economy. Last month, only 69,000 jobs were added to the economy. The jobs added last month don't even keep pace with the U.S. population growth. If individuals with no prior criminal activity are finding it difficult to find jobs, how then can we, with any semblance of honesty, expect a criminal to do so effectively? Much more emphasis therefore must be placed on training individuals on the skills of the future in order to better compete for jobs and subsequently, become better members of society.
As it stands today, much more emphasis is being placed on punishment and retention of criminals rather than the education and prevention of recurring criminal activity. This dual mandate poses extreme problems for those who favor the former and not the latter. For one, emphasis on punishment causes pervasive tax and individual costs concerns on society. It costs more
This tax burdens add to an already strained U.S. economy. This problem, I believe, will persist as long as the emphasis is on punishing criminals without a first attempting to rehabilitee them.
What drug laws have most significantly impacted the corrections system?
The most significant laws in regards to drugs pertain mainly to high volume drugs. These drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and others have very high use rates and cause many individuals to get incarcerated. According to the bureau of justice statistics, drugs are related to crime in multiple ways. Most directly, it is a crime to use, possess, manufacture, or distribute drugs classified as having a potential for abuse. Cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and amphetamines are examples of drugs classified that have a large amount of abuse (Seabrooks, 2012). Drugs are also related to crime through the effects they have on the user's behavior and by generating violence and other illegal activity in connection with drug trafficking. This is the primary…
