Drug Trafficking In Prisons Research Paper
Drug Trafficking within US Prisons
LaNesa N. Hicks
ENG122: English Composition II
Instructor: Shelley Lawyer
February 14, 2012
In a place that is guarded heavily by officers and cameras galore, drugs are in
such great demand. Drug trafficking is rapidly growing within the jail systems in the US;
drug trafficking has become prevalent in every US Prison. While there a number of
theories, many of these are conflicting. What is agreed upon is the fact that corrections in
the United States have significant problems that affect the ability of the system to sort
through problem within the prisons. The purpose of this study is to examine one
particular aspect of failing …show more content…
prison systems: the rampant and obvious drug culture that
exists in U.S. prisons. “It has been estimated that 1.1 million inmates in the United States
have died from drug overdoses (National Drug Threat Assessment 2011)."
In Prisons you have young men and women who are members of various street
gangs, these gang members are local and some national drug dealers, when these gang
member get caught for selling and disturbing drugs the are then arrested and brought to
prison.
Well this is where you would think that the bad guys are off the streets and all is
well, but it’s not. When these gang members arrive to prison they bring their street
credibility and knowledge with them. They them form prison gangs and continue to
conduct their business. They look for weak minded individuals and this includes:
Officers, other inmates, and other personal, to help with their drug trafficking. These
individual also see a need, there are inmates who are substance abuser looking for their
next fix and will do anything to get it.
Drugs are brought in and sent out of the facilities through many different
ways.[December 2010] Underwear packed with ecstasy, powder-laced envelope flaps –
even toddlers - are among the many devious devices used to smuggle drugs through
prison gates. Lawyers/legal representatives are among the ways drugs and other
contraband is getting into the prisons according to [The Magistrate, February …show more content…
2010]
Legal mail is not subject to search therefore it is that much easier to get contraband into
the facility. You have some inmates who are doing this for fear of their lives and for
many other reasons.
Drug trafficking will be a battle that the US will fight for many years to come. In
a perfect world, eliminating the demand for illegal substances would unilaterally resolve
the drug problem eventually, although in the short run we would still have the challenge
of releasing the addicted from the grips of their habits.
Absent demand, the need for the
drug trade, profit would disappear. So, too, would the social and health costs of drug
abuse. In reality, there will always be a demand for drugs. Some portion of every
population will continue to use illegal drugs to escape reality, experience pleasure, follow
peer pressure, chase a misguided sense of adventure, or rebel against authority, among
other self-destructive reasons. Their will always be a supplier meeting the need by any
means necessary. There many prisoners that don’t mind risking their lives for a little
more freedom in prison. The threat posed by gangs will increase as gangs become better
organized and more sophisticated and expand their markets.
In conclusion the purpose of this study is to examine one particular aspect of
failing prison systems: the rampant and obvious drug culture that exists in U.S. prisons.
This failure still exists in US prisons today. Many researchers have come up with
different reason for drug trafficking with prison. They also have come up with ideas
on
how the drugs are actually getting into the facilities. Although all of these suggestions
and ideas may be different, one thing is for certain there is defiantly a problem with Drug
trafficking in US prison systems. That will take time to get rid of. It took years and year
for the prisons to get into these conditions and it will take years to overcome.
Reference
National Drug Intelligence Center
National Drug Threat Assessment 2011
HM Prison Risley, Report of an unannounced short inspection, H Inspectorate of Prisons, December 2010.
Drugs: how big is the problem, and what can we do about it?, Prison Service Journal, Issue 99, May 2011.
Dr KC Mohanty, Drugs in Prison, The Magistrate, February 2010
LaNesa N. Hicks
ENG122: English Composition II
Instructor: Shelley Lawyer
February 14, 2012
In a place that is guarded heavily by officers and cameras galore, drugs are in
such great demand. Drug trafficking is rapidly growing within the jail systems in the US;
drug trafficking has become prevalent in every US Prison. While there a number of
theories, many of these are conflicting. What is agreed upon is the fact that corrections in
the United States have significant problems that affect the ability of the system to sort
through problem within the prisons. The purpose of this study is to examine one
particular aspect of failing …show more content…
prison systems: the rampant and obvious drug culture that
exists in U.S. prisons. “It has been estimated that 1.1 million inmates in the United States
have died from drug overdoses (National Drug Threat Assessment 2011)."
In Prisons you have young men and women who are members of various street
gangs, these gang members are local and some national drug dealers, when these gang
member get caught for selling and disturbing drugs the are then arrested and brought to
prison.
Well this is where you would think that the bad guys are off the streets and all is
well, but it’s not. When these gang members arrive to prison they bring their street
credibility and knowledge with them. They them form prison gangs and continue to
conduct their business. They look for weak minded individuals and this includes:
Officers, other inmates, and other personal, to help with their drug trafficking. These
individual also see a need, there are inmates who are substance abuser looking for their
next fix and will do anything to get it.
Drugs are brought in and sent out of the facilities through many different
ways.[December 2010] Underwear packed with ecstasy, powder-laced envelope flaps –
even toddlers - are among the many devious devices used to smuggle drugs through
prison gates. Lawyers/legal representatives are among the ways drugs and other
contraband is getting into the prisons according to [The Magistrate, February …show more content…
2010]
Legal mail is not subject to search therefore it is that much easier to get contraband into
the facility. You have some inmates who are doing this for fear of their lives and for
many other reasons.
Drug trafficking will be a battle that the US will fight for many years to come. In
a perfect world, eliminating the demand for illegal substances would unilaterally resolve
the drug problem eventually, although in the short run we would still have the challenge
of releasing the addicted from the grips of their habits.
Absent demand, the need for the
drug trade, profit would disappear. So, too, would the social and health costs of drug
abuse. In reality, there will always be a demand for drugs. Some portion of every
population will continue to use illegal drugs to escape reality, experience pleasure, follow
peer pressure, chase a misguided sense of adventure, or rebel against authority, among
other self-destructive reasons. Their will always be a supplier meeting the need by any
means necessary. There many prisoners that don’t mind risking their lives for a little
more freedom in prison. The threat posed by gangs will increase as gangs become better
organized and more sophisticated and expand their markets.
In conclusion the purpose of this study is to examine one particular aspect of
failing prison systems: the rampant and obvious drug culture that exists in U.S. prisons.
This failure still exists in US prisons today. Many researchers have come up with
different reason for drug trafficking with prison. They also have come up with ideas
on
how the drugs are actually getting into the facilities. Although all of these suggestions
and ideas may be different, one thing is for certain there is defiantly a problem with Drug
trafficking in US prison systems. That will take time to get rid of. It took years and year
for the prisons to get into these conditions and it will take years to overcome.
Reference
National Drug Intelligence Center
National Drug Threat Assessment 2011
HM Prison Risley, Report of an unannounced short inspection, H Inspectorate of Prisons, December 2010.
Drugs: how big is the problem, and what can we do about it?, Prison Service Journal, Issue 99, May 2011.
Dr KC Mohanty, Drugs in Prison, The Magistrate, February 2010