Criminal Justice

Posted: November 27th, 2013

Criminal Justice

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Criminal Justice

Issue: Unnecessary Imprisonment

In the recent past Oklahoma has been making the headlines for having incarcerated the highest number of women per capita than any other state in the United States of America. One of the issues faced by women is the high number of them being convicted and sent to jail for non-violent crimes. One of the main aims of prison facilities is to seclude individuals whom the state believes could be of harm to the public. With this in mind, it could be argued that most of the women being imprisoned for minor charges or for non-violent crimes are being imprisoned unnecessarily.

Solution: Alternative Programs

One of the most plausible solutions to this issue is to support alternative programs. The state should consider adopting another stance on crime and punishment especially for the women. This would work very well because it ends up having multiple advantages. The first is that the state does not end up incurring all the high costs of imprisoning offenders. Another advantage is that the women put under alternative programs do not have to undergo the harsh conditions depicted in the prison system.

Issue: Physical and Psychological Torture

            Research indicates that most of the women imprisoned in the United States of America especially in the state of Oklahoma are sentenced under drug related charges. Since most of the offenders are addicted to either prescription or illegal drugs, the women prisoners suffer both physically and psychologically as they are deprived of their drug or substance of choice. Medical research indicates that when a person is addicted to any form of drugs, the body becomes virtually dependent on the chemical components in the drug in the performance of normal day-to-day functions efficiently.

Solution: Drug Treatment Programs

            Drug treatment is the most plausible solution to taking care of such women prisoners. Most of the offenders do not commit the said crimes out of revolt but as a means of survival. Helping them rehabilitate from their behaviors would go a long way in reforming them and ensuring they completely abandon the vice. The drug treatment program would take in non-violent offenders who have been convicted on drug charges. The state could invest in more drug treatment centers where these women are taken through drug rehabilitation and treatment procedures.