PP504 PU Global Week 3 To 9 Assignments

Re: Request to Make a Presentation on Criminal Justice Policies on Drugs Dear Sir/Madam I would like to draw your attention to this email. My name is Mary Williams. I am an expert in policy-making with D and B transportation. I recently learned about the upcoming public meeting that you plan to hold from Typatrack and would like to request for your audience to make a presentation on the topic named in the subject of this email. As stakeholders, it is evident that there is a lot of dilemma surrounding the criminal justice system. Everyone is looking for a way out of the problem in a manner that will help solve the menace that is taking the country by storm. I have been conducting studies on the previous actions that have been taken in that regard over the last thirty years which have all failed. I came up with resolutions that I know will be able to bring a difference to the whole system, improving the quality of security and reducing the levels of crimes emanating from drug and substance abuse. I look forward to your response. Regards, 1 Public Administration Purdue Global January 15, 2019 2 According to the statistic provided by the www.thesentencingproject.org article, there has been a steady rise in the number of prisons in the United States of America from the 1980s. The steady rise in the number of prison facilities is directly concurrent with the rise in the number of drug offenders. The number seems to grow because the previously sentenced offenders spend longer in prison. The idea of prolonged detentions also leads to the high rates of congestion that is evident in the prisons. The high number translates to a higher budget of having to construct more prison facilities to accommodate them. It also translates to an even higher budget of having to feed the inmates. In addition, detaining the drug offenders longer translates to having to maintain the same inmates for longer periods. All these aspects mean that the government has to spend more money on maintaining inmates. Alternative forms of rehabilitation are likely to bring down these costs. 3 References The Sentencing Project: Research and advocacy for reform. (2001). Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project. Article Retrieved from: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/drugpolicy.pdf 1 Public Administration Purdue Global January 15, 2019 2 The present issues being witnessed regarding an increase in the number of drug offenders and growth in the number of prison facilities is no a new phenomenon. However, there are no effective legislative acts that have been adopted to try and counter the issues. The first set of legislation was adopted in 1986. The legislation required that an individual caught in possession of as little as five grams of cocaine received a minimum penalty of five years’ imprisonment. In states such as Michigan, the sentence of life imprisonment for possession of 650 grams of cocaine was reduced to permit the consideration of parole after an offender had served a sentence of fifteen years. This legislation came in 1998 after the state had sentences over 200 drug offenders. However, the greatest relief came in 1994 when Congress passed a bill that allowed a federal judge to reduce the sentence at his/her discretion especially for first-time offenders. However, the sentence was not to go below two years. 3 References The Sentencing Project: Research and advocacy for reform. (2001). Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project. Article Retrieved from: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/drugpolicy.pdf 1 Public Administration Purdue Global January 15, 2019 2 Policy Brief on Drug Policies Drug policies were first enacted to help reduce the problems of addiction and complications that resulted from drug abuse. The policies underwent different levels of legislation, and eventually, the most defined ones were adopted. Unfortunately, the adopted acts were too tough, and they caused prolonged detention periods, leading to a backlog that created a state of congestion in the states’ prisons. The condition reflected directly to the need to build more prison facilities which resulted in higher expenditures by the government. The situation created a dilemma that requires a comprehensive solution that will reduce the expenditure of the government, reduced drug-related crimes, and increased security for the public. This study was dedicated to examining some of the available solutions as proposed from different quarters. It is important to resolve the matters at hand to reduce the expenditure of the government on prison facilities (which is estimated at 182 billion USD a year). The money can be used to finance more productive ventures. 3 References The Sentencing Project: Research and advocacy for reform. (2001). Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project. Article Retrieved from: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/drugpolicy.pdf …