Vanson Ma
12/3/15
ENGL 2000
Rehabilitation vs. Punishment
As Americans, we are very proud of our freedom. Ironically, the “land of the free” has more people imprisoned in proportion to its population than any other developed country in the world. There are over 2 million prisoners throughout the United States, and approximately 750,000 of them will be released within the year. With the current methods in place in the prison system, most offenders will likely fall back into the same way of life that originally landed them in jail. In fact, roughly two-thirds of prisoners being released today will end up back in prison within the next three years (Petersilia). This not only affects the families and lives of those serving behind bars, but it …show more content…
During a time when the federal government has trillions in debt, it seems unethical and unintelligent to ignore the benefits and cost savings of helping people get the treatment they need rather than worsening everyone’s problems with incarceration. Several states have already taken considerable steps to divert people convicted of low-level drug offenses to treatment and other services. The California Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act of 2000 (SACPA) diverts people convicted of non-violent, drug-related crimes to community-based treatment, education, or training and probation. A fiscal evaluation estimated that for every $1 allocated to fund this program, $2.50 was saved. The resulting net savings to the state and local governments amounted to a staggering $173.3 million per year in avoided criminal justice costs, reduced trial court costs, and reduced arrest rates of participants. Other notable social benefits included increased employment for drug treatment participants, improved health outcomes and decreased drug usage (drugpolicy.org). Although the figures may vary state to state, it is evident that implementing programs like this would lead to cost …show more content…
This is simply not true. Housing a prisoner for one offense is a costly endeavor. Housing the same prisoner multiple times in a lifetime is, simply, detrimental to an economy. In fact, economist Mark A. Cohen and criminologist Alex Piquero have concluded that the average repeat offender will eventually cost society $4.2 to $7.3 million dollars after factoring in court and prison expenses, medical care, lost wages etc. (Petersilia). For instance, California has some of the worst recidivism rates in the country. Based on data from 2003, the cost of incarcerating one prisoner in the state of California for one year was $27,000. The annual cost of addiction treatment for that same prisoner was $4,500. By offering the drug offender treatment, rather than prison sentences, the state would save up to $22,500 per person per year (justicepolicy.org). This does not even take into account the savings that would accumulate by preventing incurred costs resulting from reoffending. Many experts believe that targeted rehabilitation programs will give inmates the help they need, along with a reason to stay out of prison. Specifically, drug and alcohol treatment, education and job training, and other incentives could potentially save California up to $684 million each year by keeping people from returning to prison
12/3/15
ENGL 2000
Rehabilitation vs. Punishment
As Americans, we are very proud of our freedom. Ironically, the “land of the free” has more people imprisoned in proportion to its population than any other developed country in the world. There are over 2 million prisoners throughout the United States, and approximately 750,000 of them will be released within the year. With the current methods in place in the prison system, most offenders will likely fall back into the same way of life that originally landed them in jail. In fact, roughly two-thirds of prisoners being released today will end up back in prison within the next three years (Petersilia). This not only affects the families and lives of those serving behind bars, but it …show more content…
During a time when the federal government has trillions in debt, it seems unethical and unintelligent to ignore the benefits and cost savings of helping people get the treatment they need rather than worsening everyone’s problems with incarceration. Several states have already taken considerable steps to divert people convicted of low-level drug offenses to treatment and other services. The California Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act of 2000 (SACPA) diverts people convicted of non-violent, drug-related crimes to community-based treatment, education, or training and probation. A fiscal evaluation estimated that for every $1 allocated to fund this program, $2.50 was saved. The resulting net savings to the state and local governments amounted to a staggering $173.3 million per year in avoided criminal justice costs, reduced trial court costs, and reduced arrest rates of participants. Other notable social benefits included increased employment for drug treatment participants, improved health outcomes and decreased drug usage (drugpolicy.org). Although the figures may vary state to state, it is evident that implementing programs like this would lead to cost …show more content…
This is simply not true. Housing a prisoner for one offense is a costly endeavor. Housing the same prisoner multiple times in a lifetime is, simply, detrimental to an economy. In fact, economist Mark A. Cohen and criminologist Alex Piquero have concluded that the average repeat offender will eventually cost society $4.2 to $7.3 million dollars after factoring in court and prison expenses, medical care, lost wages etc. (Petersilia). For instance, California has some of the worst recidivism rates in the country. Based on data from 2003, the cost of incarcerating one prisoner in the state of California for one year was $27,000. The annual cost of addiction treatment for that same prisoner was $4,500. By offering the drug offender treatment, rather than prison sentences, the state would save up to $22,500 per person per year (justicepolicy.org). This does not even take into account the savings that would accumulate by preventing incurred costs resulting from reoffending. Many experts believe that targeted rehabilitation programs will give inmates the help they need, along with a reason to stay out of prison. Specifically, drug and alcohol treatment, education and job training, and other incentives could potentially save California up to $684 million each year by keeping people from returning to prison