AshleyLytton

Revolvingdoor
August6,2016
Health1050SU16Roberts


Wespendourwholeadolescentlivestryingtopinpointwhenitwillbeourtimeto,Just
sayNobecauseithasbeenpoundedintoourheadsthroughouttheelementary,juniorandhigh
school.However,nobodyhelpedustounderstandwhatthatrealmomentwouldlike,ortellus
thatitmaybeourbestfriendwhoisthefirsttooffer,orthatinasocialgatheringwemaythe
oddmanoutby,justsayingno.Soonefindsthemselvesinthatsituationandtheypartakeof
theforbiddenfruitofdrugsandgethookedonthatfirsthitcausingthispersontolivealifein
andoutoftherevolvingdoorweknowmorecommonlyasprison.Thisallsoundssoinnocent,
however,ourprisonsarefulloftheseinnocentstories.Infact,accordingtotheUnitedStates
DepartmentJusticeOfficeofJusticeProgramsbureauofJusticeStatistics,thefederalprisonis
52%fullofnonviolentdrugoffenders,mostofwhichwerefirsttimeoffenderstraffickingdrugs.
ThisleadsmetomyfirsttopicIwillbesharingwithyou,minimummandatorysentencingin
regardtodrugsandhowitisaffectingourprisonsystems.ThenexttopicIwillwritingaboutis
rehabilitationortreatmentprogramsinourprisonsystem.Thistopicwillbringtolifetherotating
doorourcriminaljusticesystemhascreatedinourfailedattempttohelpsociety.AndlastIwill
leaveyouwithafewideasabouttreatmentandwhetheritwouldbebetterthanincarceration.I
understandthiscouldbeviewedmoreasapoliticaltopic,however,Idonotseeitthatway.This
isacommunity,family,friend,orevenafoetopic.WehavetochangethewayourCriminal
JusticesystemisdealingwithournonviolentDrugoffenders.
Mandatoryminimumsentencingisdefinedbyuslegal.comas,apersonconvictedofa
crimemustbeimprisonedforaminimumterm,asopposedtoleavingthelengthofpunishment
uptothejudges.Inregardtodrugsandmandatoryminimumsentencing,thereisagraphIfound

onPBS.orginanarticlewrittenbyEricE.Sterlingtitled,Snitchthatgivesaquickviewof
howstraightforwardthismandatoryminimumsentencingreallyis:
TypeofDrug
LSD

FiveyearSentencing Tenyearsentencing
lifewithoutparole
lifewithoutparole
1Gram

10Grams

100Plants/100Kilos

1000Plants/1000
Kilos

5Grams

50Grams

PowderCocaine

500Grams

5Kilos

Heroin

100Grams

1Kilo

Methamphetamine

10Grams

100Grams

PCP

10Grams

100Grams

Marijuana
CrackCocaine

Soyoucanseefrommygraphwhattypeofsentencingwillhappentoapersonwhoisfound
withintheseperimetersofdrugs.BecauseoftheMandatoryminimumsentencing,ourprison
systemscannotkeepupwiththepopulationitbringingin.Thisiscausingmassiveovercrowding
andonaverageitcostingtaxpayers$31,286.00perinmatetobehousedinprisonsintheUnited
States,andcouldbehigherthan$60,000.00insomestates.(NYtimes,online2013)Regardless
oftheoffense,itcoststhesametohouseeachoffenderinprisonforoneyear.HereinUtahwe
nationallyhavealowerincarcerationratecomparedtotherestofUnitedStatesbuthaverecently
seenaclimbinrecidivismwhileotherstateshaveseenadecline.Utahmadeadecisiontowork
towardahealthiercommunitywhilestillholdingouroffendersaccountablebyresearchingdata
andoutcomesofprogrammingalsoknownastreatment.Theyfoundwithincentiveitwouldbe
possibletosavethetaxpayersmoneybyclosingtherevolvingdooreverynowthento

nonviolentoffenderswhocompletetreatmentwhileincarceratedfortheirnonviolentcrimeand
cuttheirmandatoryminimumsentencesbyuptofourmonthswhentheirsentencewasrelatedto
druguse.Althoughthisisjustastepinchanginglawsthatarewellover20yearsthetrueimpact
ofshuttingdownmandatoryminimumsentencingfornonviolentdrugoffenses.Bottomlinethe
peoplewhoarereflectedinthispaperneedhelptheyareaddictstheydon'tneedacageiftheir
offensewasnonviolent.
Whenweconsiderthestatisticsmentionedinmylastparagraphitbecomesundeniablytrue
thatourcriminaljusticesystemneedstoshifttoasystemofrehabilitationandretributionrather
thanjustretributionalone.Therehavebeensomegraveeffortstoensurethisishappening.Ona
morallevel,wehavetoseetheneverchangingeverrisingrecidivismisnotkeepingour
communitiessafe,thecriminaljusticesystemisholdingournonviolentdrugoffenders
accountablefortheirdrugrelatedcrimesbutnotdoingmuchtodeterorensuretheywon'tbe
releasedtocommitthesamecrimeorworse.AccordingtoVerainstituteofjustice,incarcerated
peopleinprisonwhoparticipatedinprisoneducationprogramswere43%lesslikelyto
recidivatethanthosewhodont.Therecouldbehopegiventothesepeoplethroughproviding
themwithresourcestobattletheiraddictionandtoolstoliveabetterlifethanthatofthedrug
life.Programmingisessentialtoreducingrecidivismandkeepingourcommunitiessafer.When
apersonalreadysuffersfromeconomicdisparitiesandculturalbarriersthanfindthemselvesin
prisonthereisnotmuchalternativethanthesamelifestyletheyhadbeforetheycamein.
Aftercareorevenhalfwayhouseshavebeenagreatkeyeffortinreintegratingournonviolent
drugoffendersintosocietywiththeirfamilies.Thehalfwayhousesprovidecriticaltherapytothe
drugoffender,itprovidesthemwithwork,therapywithfamily,andteachesthemhowtolive

independentlywhilegivingthemtheaccountabilitytheoutsideworldcouldnotgivethemin
suchafragilestateofsobriety.Whilemyopinionsareapparentaboutrehabilitationofthe
nonviolentdrugoffenders,theaveragetaxpayerdoesn'tbelievethatspendingmoneyon
programmingwhiletheoffendersareincarceratedwould,inthelongrun,savealargeamountof
moneybecausewearereintegratingahealthyoffenderwhocanpaytaxesandcontributeto
societyratherthanrescindingontheirobligationstothecriminaljusticesystemthuscausingthe
taxpayermoremoneytohelpgivethemmedical,hygiene,foodetc.
Accordingtothejusticepolicy.orgdruguserswhoenterourprisonsystemaremorelikelygoing
tocommitmorecrimesafterbeingreleasedthantheywouldhavehadtheynotcametoprison.In
fact85%ofpeoplewhorespondedthenationalandstatefindingsofefficacyandcostsavingsof
drugtreatmentversusimprisonmentstudydonebyDougMcVay,VincentSchiraidi,Jason
Ziedenberg,January2014believethatjudgesshouldhavetheoptiontoordertreatmentrather
thanimprisonment.Unfortunately,thisisnotanoptionduetolawssetbackin1980.Inregardto
druguseandincarceration,theonlyconstantthingis77%ofdrugoffenderswillbebackin
prisonwithinfiveyears.Wecanallagreethatregardlessiftheoffenseisdrugrelatedornotitis
imperativethatourcommunitiesfeelsafeandthatthereisaseparationfromthecriminalsand
theothermembersofsociety.Sotherealquestioniswhereisthehappymediumbetween
incarcerationandtreatment.Ifeelinordertofuelbothsidestherehastobesomeobjectivity
frombothoppositions.Ithinkitisalsoimportanttothinkaboutthewhatifscenario,likewhatif
weoffertreatmentanditdoesntofferthedesiredoutcomeofrehabilitation?Orwhataboutthe
violentdrugoffenders?Iamanadvocateforrehabilitatinganaddict,however,whereistherea
linedrawn,ifanyistodrawindeed?Ibelievethereismuchtoloseonbothtreatmentofdrug

offenderswhichwouldmeaniftheiroffenseisnonviolentthanthecriminaljusticesystem
wouldsentencethemappropriatelyforthecrimetheycommittedinregardtothedrugsbutalso
givethematreatmentplanfittingtotheaddiction,preparingthemforasafetransitioninto
society.Andifwesentencethemforthedrugcrimewithoutrehabilitationwearestillsending
thembackintosociety.Iwouldrathertakemychanceswiththenonviolentdrugoffenderwho
hadsometypeoftreatmentthantheonewhohadnot.Eventually,theybothwillleavetheprison
system.
Inthispaper,Ihavecoveredsomemajorelementsinregardtodrugsandtheprisonsystem,and
probablybroughtupmorequestions/concernsthanansweredquestionsorprovidedsolutions.
ButallIknowisIhavestudiedtherevolvingdoorthataddictionprovidesgoodpeople.AndI
knowthereisanansweroutthereforthembecause,afterall,theyarepeople,theyareour
husbands,wives,moms,dads,children,friendsetc.Andtheydeserveachancetolivelifethe
wayitwasmeanttobelived,healthy!Iknowchangingthewaythecriminaljusticesystem
imposesmandatoryminimumsentenceswilltakemanyyearstoseethelastingeffectsbutI
knowitsastepintherightdirection.However,letusnotgetaheadofourselfsweneedto
provideaftercarfortheaddict.Thisleadsmetotherehabilitationofthenonviolentdrug
offender,takethemoutofprisonwheretheytendtocomeoutmorehardenedthantheydid
whentheywentit,wheretheyareservinglongersentencesthanthosewhoarepedophiles.We
needtoteachthesepeopleaboutaddiction,givethematradesomethingtofeelproudabout.
Howaboutwestopspendingtaxpayermoneyonkeepingthembehindbarsandspenditon
keepingthemfarfromthebarsaltogether.Again,thisismyopinion,Ifeelstronglyaboutit.This
isthereasonIchosetocomebacktoschoolandbeapartofthesolution.