Criminal Justice Questions and Responses, Essay Example

Q1 Discuss the reasons why people use drugs.

People turn to drugs often because of social pressures and curiosity. Teenagers generally tend to be rebellious and indulge in experimental behaviour as an integral part of their learning experience and growing into adulthood. Society has also changed with many pressures on the family and particularly those in the poverty zone. “The rising cost of living and emphasis on immediate gratification”. (Goldberg, 2009) As such drugs have been used as a means of escapism and provide a means to evade the realities of life. The concept of ‘addiction’ comes later and equally that of ‘progression’; where an initial drug no longer provides the stimulus required and the person moves on from recreational drugs to hard drugs.  Some people state that they obtain pleasure from using recreational drugs and it is often boredom that motivates them down this path. Hence the drugs are often reviewed by the recipient as some form of reward.

Q2  Explain how we as a society should best deal with those who develop problematic use issues with drugs and alcohol?

The simple answer is that we need to address the social and environmental conditions that promote the use of drugs and alcohol.  Prevention being better than cure.  It is estimated that there are over 24 million suffering from drug addiction in the US alone.  This becomes more compounded when you consider the many other forms of potential addictions that influence our daily lives e.g. gambling, alcohol, cigarettes, TV etc.  Perhaps the most serious of all of these and that which poses the most challenging threat to our future is drug addiction.  The alarming rates of juvenile addiction being the most alarming concern.  In Los Angeles alone this is seen to be one of the most significant factors in the increasing rate of juvenile crime.  Addiction is really a social problem and much of this trouble stems from poverty and poor living conditions where addiction thrives.  Many juveniles resorting to petty crimes and theft in order to pay for street drugs. Once they get into the judicial system they are charged and later released only to re-offend, often more serious escalations, leading to a life of crime.  Social support is not made available to the children at a young age and the legal system cannot adequately deal with the offenders going through the system.

For the first time in our history we are in danger of seeing an entire generation of children die before their parents.  The addiction to eating junk food, lack of exercise and sedentary lifestyles has resulted in a large increase of child obesity and diabetes. So dispensing with all of this gloom – what are we going to do about it?  The problem is just not confined to the USA and we are seeing similar trends in Europe and elsewhere.  We need to promote a radical system of change and social reform through our Governments and local communities.  Much of this has to deal with the elimination of poverty in our society. The current world recession only frustrates the problem even more and creates a downward spiral of events.  We need to make our local authorities more aware of their responsibility in getting mentally ill addicts off the streets and into institutions where they can be properly treated and rehabilitated.  It is no longer acceptable in a modern civilised society to see human beings being wasted in this way.

Serious addicts cannot do this on their own and they need community help in order to place them on a proper road to recovery.  “Waiting won’t help a drug addict. No matter what they say, if they haven’t quit using drugs by now, they won’t, without help” (Narconon, 2010)Mental illness is a serious issue not only for the patient but equally for potential innocent victims.  We are seeing an alarming rise of needles and syringes being disposed in the streets.  If a child picks one of these up there exists the potential to pass on serious health issues.

Works Cited

Goldberg, R. (2009). Drugs Across the Spectrum . In R. Goldberg, Drugs Across the Spectrum (pp. 1-56). Belmont CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning Inc.

Narconon. (2010). Drug Addiction – There is Hope. Retrieved 9 11, 2010, from Narconon: http://www.drugsno.com/drug-addiction/