Per the NADCP National Association of Drug Court Professionals objective is to transform millions of lives of defendants through addressing issues they face with anti-social behavior they display within the community. Per NADCP 492 Drug Courts existed. By June 30, 2012, 2,734 Drug Courts were operating in every U.S. state and territory (Finn, P., and A.K. Newlyn.…
The Drug Court of New South Wales was introduced in February 1999 as a 2-year-pilot program under the Drug Court Act 1998 (NSW). After various evaluations it was decided to extend the pilot-program until 2004, with amendments being made to the Drug Court Act 1998 (NSW) in December 2002.…
The New Jim Crow parallels the civil injustices that were usually placed upon black people during the pre-reconstruction with those placed on felons in current day, making the argument that the system of oppression never really disappeared but instead evolved. This, in a way, supports Alexander’s assertion because it confirms the durability implied by saying that such a system was the foundation of America. In conclusion, Alexander’s focal quote means that America was, and still is, built on maintaining a caste system and preserving power positions, allegations supported by the way power is passed around today, and the structure of the prison…
However, various people in the 13 would most likely disagree with that statement. In fact, New Jersey Senator, Cory Booker, said that “Right now, we have more African-Americans under criminal supervision that all the slaves back in the 1850s.” Booker’s point is that while African Americans have equal rights,but the justice system is full of racism and discrimination which separates whites from blacks. Another quote that reinforces the idea of racism in our justice system comes professor and writer Michelle Alexander. She says that, “So many aspects of the old Jim Crows are suddenly legal again once you’ve been a branded felon.” What she means by this is that once you’ve been convicted as a felon you suddenly lose may rights as a U.S.…
When examining drug use in American society, it can be said that it is met with generally negative attitudes. American society has typically frowned upon drug use, creating negative narratives and stigmas against the use of drugs. They have also employed various tactics to convince people not to use drugs, including the concept of drug scares. Drug scares are employed by different entities within American society throughout history in order to dissuade individuals from engaging in drug use and uphold negative attitudes towards drugs and drug users. Before delving into historical continuities of negative drug use, it is imperative that one understand the concept of drug scares and how it…
The lines are long, it’s raining, it’s hot, or it may be cold, but exercising your right to vote is as important as all of your other civil rights. As Americans we have came a very long way when it comes to protecting our civil rights, and choosing the right candidate to protect our country. In 1964, three civil right activist set out to set up a voter’s registry for African Americans, but it was short lived because they were brutally murder by members of the Klu Klux Klan in Philadelphia, Mississippi((IMBD). This helped pave the road for African Americans to get out and register to vote. Not long ago, only one-third of African Americans were registered to vote, and two third of the voters were white, because African Americans was terrified of voting, or they chose not to. While voting is a right that we all have, if you have committed a crime and it has been classified as a felon, in most states you are restricted from voting. Since the Voting Rights Act of 1965, there has been a significant increase of voters at the polls. It has increased significantly in the African America and Hispanic populations and due to this, President Obama, an African American, was voted into office in 2008, and is now serving his second term. There have been many protests regarding felons voting and their civil rights being violated. While three great men lost their lives over such a significant cause in Mississippi, in order for a convicted felon to vote in Mississippi, his or her state representative must personally author a bill reenfranchising that individual. Both houses of the legislature must then pass the bill. Re-enfranchisement can also be granted directly by the governor. (“ProCon.org”). …
Over the past two decades, specialized courts have resulted, according to Quinn (2009), in response to, the “problem solving court” movement (As cited in Cole and Getz, 2013). Such courts, Quinn (2009) noted, have come to focus on social concerns such as, addiction, domestic violence, and mental health issues, and have come to asset that such courts have cured addiction, addressed issues of intimate violence, prevented recidivism, reduced costs, and implied that they have even saved lives (As cited in Cole and Getz, 2013). Recently, however, such success stories have been called into question as modern court reformers have claimed that the assertions by the courts are misleading, as alternative experiences within and contrary opinions about…
She discusses how those old laws seem very similar to the mass incarceration today. She argues that after slavery white Americans needed a way to control the black population and so Jim Crow was born. After Jim Crow ended white Americans once again needed to way to control the black population, and so the War on Drugs began, and with it came the age of mass incarceration. “Jim Crow eventually replaced slavery, but now it too had died, and it was unclear what might take its place” (Alexander 40). I am inclined to accept her argument as fact after reading The New Jim Crow. It is hard to argue with the facts that she presents. It seems that black people are unfairly targeted, not because they are more likely to be committing crimes, but simply because they are black. Before reading this book, I would have said that the crime rate was caused by the poverty that many black families find themselves in, but that’s not seeing the whole picture. That is seeing one tiny fragment of it. It is not addressing the larger problem. It is not helping to end the mass incarceration of black men. It is not helping to end the New Jim Crow. After reading this book my eyes have been opened to the real problems facing black men in the United…
In the book “The new Jim Crow” author Michelle Alexander goes in great about a race-related social, political, and legal phenomena, which is mass incarceration. Mass incarceration is the new form of Jim Crow laws because of its effects are not only similar but in its new form more effective. Mass Incarceration causes racial segregation, racial discrimination, and hinders the advancement of a people through “a tightly networked system of laws, policies, customs, and institutions that operate collectively to ensure the subordinate status of a group defined largely by race.” In the following paragraphs you will learn of the origins of these inhibitory laws as well as how these laws affect African Americans socially, politically, and economically.…
The United States has the highest incarceration percentage in the world. Mass incarceration is the result of people breaking the laws or committing offenses. Bill Clinton and his administration was one of the presidents that led to a massive mass incarceration. He passed a bill that extended criminal offenses, and he also gave money to build new prisons. Mass incarceration is also a result of poverty and discrimination of African Americans. In the other hand, Drug law violations have been one of the main reasons why people are incarcerated.…
In this day and age, people take their liberties for granted. Things such as owning property, voting, and even having our own basic freedom. We have had these rights for our whole lives, so we don’t really understand how big of a problem it was in the past and present. In the sources, “A More Perfect Union” by Barack Obama, Separate But Not Equal, and Civil Rights Movement, we can understand what black people had to go through and are still struggling with. Discrimination has been an ongoing obstacle that people had fought against and still are fighting against today.…
With the old Jim Crow African American were segregated, but now with the new Jim Crow African American, Latinos and low income people are being targeted and lose he citizenship "rights". Meaning that if this people commit a crime and have record or are convicted as a felon the rights are taken away. For example, their right to vote, their right to get a good job, or even housing. There basic needs for life are taken away from them. The government takes some part of their rights as a punishment, for committing a felony.…
Despite the short-term victory, whites were stubborn in oppressing black people and they decided to use the law to do so. Thus, mass incarceration was born. Some whites believed that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil disobedience was adding to the rise of crime (Alexander, p. 41). Many politicians ran on a get tough on crime platform, as this was a catalyst for black mass incarceration. Blaming black riots for most of the crime in the country further divided races and allowed more hatred to make mass incarceration happen.…
Michelle Alexander talked about how racial bias takes place at every stage of the court process. This process is the sentencing, prosecutions, jury selection, and police racial profiling colored races. (Alexander, 2012). Each of these parts has individual racism that they share and fall under the fourth amendment. Prosecutors have the most power in the court system. (Alexander, p.112, 2012). The type of people in the court system is protected to the claims of racial bias. The jury selection has a long history of race discrimination on juries in the court system. People of color would always get the harsher punishment and sentence. (Alexander, p.106,2012) Since the judges have the most power, many of them make illegal discretion towards the suspects because of their race. This also goes for prosecutors because many of the bring information into the court and base it on the persons race. Jury selection is based on race, which makes the punishments even harsher for certain colored individuals even though a big percentage of them are innocent. In Alexander’s book, she stated how “… And I don’t like the way they looked, with the way the hair is cut, both of them. And the mustaches and the beards look suspicious to me”(p.122, 2012). This shows how many judges are racist and can simply give a colored race a worse punishment just because of their skin color. Another statement that Alexander gave was the mandatory laws were taking discretion of the judge which resulted in racial discrimination when a person is was getting sentenced. This had sentenced many colored races in prisons, which lead to overcrowding court systems, and even prisons. (CJ, presentation). For instance, the judges see a colored person and automatically think that they are guilty of the crime that they are involved in. Some judges do not really listen to what the person has to…
Wouldn't it be simple to provide a simple black or white answer to this question? Across the nation there is much debate on this very topic, one that I don't believe can be solved so easily with a yes or no. There are so many activists that have strong opinions on this subject and go to the fullest extent to ensure they are heard. As simple straight forward as this question is it was hard for me to determine which side of the line I stood on. After reading all of the articles and much research on the issue I find myself leaning toward allowing medicinal marijuana use. By allowing medicinal marijuana use there are going to have to be many precautions taken to ensure that such a non-traditional controversial medicine is not abuse as many people will try to take advantage of the situation.…