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The positive efects legalizing marijuana would have on community based corrections

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The positive efects legalizing marijuana would have on community based corrections
In today’s society crime is handled in several different ways. Throughout time we have seen several variations of punishments to rectify the wrong that has been done. These punishments vary in severity, some being as harsh as death, to life time imprisonment and then there is the form of rehabilitation that some find to be less harsh such as community based corrections. These punishments are assigned depending on the type of offense committed. The more severe crimes such as murder or rape are those that impose definite prison sentences. To this day there are prisoners serving lengthy sentences for drug crimes. Marijuana, one of the least harmful of all illegal drugs should be legalized as one a way to free up needed prison space and secondly as a way to provide financial relief and revenue to our struggling economy. The figures produced could assist in contributing remedy to the problems in other aspects of drug addiction eliminating the incarceration of offenders for drug and drug influenced crimes. Through research it will be shown that the release of these inmates to lowered or altered sentences would not only free up needed prison space, but would significantly reduce the financial deficit that our government currently finds itself in “…federal debt is now more than $15 trillion, (1) and that figure has been growing by more than a trillion dollars per year for the last four years.” (Burrus & Kopel, 2012) The relief of these funds could be poured into several different departs that are currently lacking, most importantly to this work community based corrections.
Community based corrections (CBC) is a philosophy that recognizes the community’s responsibility to crime. Simply explained we the people have a right to safety and security as well as a role in making sure that this is carried out and participating in the process. One of the biggest problems with community based corrections is funding “…many states are being forced to cut funding for traditional and
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