Why lock a person up when what they need is drug and alcohol treatment or mental health treatment?

A. Please reading and answer questions below (Totally more than 150 words):

If you have been paying any attention lately to the new from whatever source you get your news you surely have heard that there is a significant number of persons incarcerated in our jails and prisons. In fact, we have more persons incarcerated in our prison system than any developed country in the world. 

1. Should we spend more time trying to decriminalizing behavior than finding more ways to convict men and women in our country?

2. Why lock a person up when what they need is drug and alcohol treatment or mental health treatment? 

3. Should we be tougher on crime or begin reducing sentences, releasing past offenders and making sentences for cocaine possession and marijuana possession equal crimes? 

4. Will your position help improve how the wheels of justice turn in this country?

B. Please write 2 comments respectively for 2 statements below, each comment must more than 60 words.

1.

I definitely think there are too many people in jail for activities that shouldn’t be considered crimes like marijuana use and possession. I don’t think people who have been convicted of selling marijuana in the past should remain in jail, and I also think their records should be cleared. While I’m fine with just about anyone being allowed to grow and sell marijuana, I do think there should be regulations in place — a seller should be required to inform a buyer exactly what’s in the product and what pesticides were used, etc. Also, since the process of extracting hash oil can be dangerous, I think there should be regulations regarding who can produce it and how. 

I don’t think self-medication is a crime, but I do think it can be indicative of problems that require outside intervention. Instead of incarceration, we should try to help people who turn to illicit substances. Instead of funding private prisons, we should focus on helping those who are struggling to be able to cope in more healthy ways. If we’re more focused on nurturing healthy behaviors and positive coping mechanisms rather than ripping families apart or callously encouraging decompensation in custody, we may find more members of society acting in a productive way beneficial to themselves and the community. 

2.

As we known, in the United States have more persons incarcerated in prison. The possession rate of the gun is one of the factors that raise the crime rate in the United States. Because the possession of the gun is protected by Article 2 of the Constitution of the United States, it is not strange that guns are placed in ordinary homes. According to the BBC news, The United States is a country with firearms in the world, and its number is actually much higher than in war-time countries. So I think in order to reduce crime rate, we should change the law. 

For the people who are drug addicts, they need aftercare which plays a very important role for drug addicts patients. I think we should spend more time on aftercare services because normally drug addicts patients has mental problems, therefore we need focus on their illness not a crime. 

I don’t think cocaine possession and marijuana possession are equal crimes.  According to a Discovery Health article, marijuana has been extremely successful in relieving nausea, which is really benefit news for cancer patients. Therefore, marijuana and cocaine can not put same position.