Drug/Crime Relationships and Their Impact

Drug/Crime Relationships and Their Impact

There are three primary drug/crime relationships:

1. Drug-Defined Offenses: Violations like drug possession or manufacturing increase incarceration rates and burden the criminal justice system (Chandler et al., 2019).
2. Drug-Related Offenses: Crimes motivated by drug effects, such as theft to support drug use, contribute to community violence and strain law enforcement.
3. Drug-Using Lifestyle: Increased likelihood of illegal activities due to association with other offenders perpetuates criminal behavior and hinders rehabilitation (Brady, 2019).

Two other facts from the readings are the cost of imprisonment and the role of prevention and treatment programs in reoffending. Prevention and intervention can prevent relapse, control the cycle of addiction and criminals, and improve people’s lives. Furthermore, the issue of the high costs of imprisonment is another reason why nations should consider non-traditional methods of handling drug-related offenses, including treatment (- YouTube, 2024).

References

Brady, J. (2019, March 8). More Imprisonment Does Not Reduce State Drug Problems. The Pew Charitable Trusts. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2018/03/more-imprisonment-does-not-reduce-state-drug-problems

Burgum K. H. (2017) Eliminating the Shame and Stigma of Addiction [Video]. TED Conferences. https://youtu.be/1Q5-j30opt0?si=i2WGsBy0afCyVkL4

Chandler, R. K., Fletcher, B. W., & Volkow, N. D. (2019). Treating Drug Abuse and Addiction in the Criminal Justice System. JAMA, 301(2), 183. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2008.976

a:link {text-decoration: none;}a:visited {text-decoration: none;
}a:hover {text-decoration: underline;} a:active {text-decoration: underline;}

We’ll write everything from scratch

---

More so than in other countries, American prisons and jails have to deal with inmates who are addicts. Not only is it a costly judicial process before the individual reaches incarceration, but the cost of maintaining a prisoner in the US is also rising each year. In thinking about the required videos and reading, can you share an example of each of the 3 types of drug/crime relationships and how this impacts not only American society but also our work in the field of human services? Please also discuss at least 2 other ideas that were new to you or interesting to you from our required reading and videos including the link below which discusses prevention and treatment as important in recidivism. Please be sure to use examples to support your statements.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3859122/pdf/nihms532476.pdf
NOTE: You must make at least 1 substantial posting and 2 substantial replies to this thread. You must participate in the Unit discussion board (making postings/replies) at least 3 days per unit to qualify for full credit and also have at least 1 posting by Wednesday at midnight. You also must use APA style in your posting and replies so please use in-text references and provide a reference to give proper credit to the authors.

Last Completed Projects