FREE ESSAY ON ALTERNATIVES OTHER THAN CONTROL AND PUNISHMENT

ALTERNATIVES OTHER THAN CONTROL AND PUNISHMENT

Better Alternatives Other Than Control and Punishment
Society has other alternatives to decreasing crime than simply locking people in prison.
Preventative programs focus on the community, school, family, employment and places. In
addition, there are rehabilitation and restorative justice programs that can also be used
to
decrease crime. Prisons are the only alternatives we hear about from politicians because
of the
notion that prisons are tough on crime. In reality, the method that reduces crime the
most is the
toughest on crime,--and many research studies demonstrate prisons are not the best
alternatives.
Over 65% of the people convicted for 3-Strikes are for drug-related offenses. There is
great
evidence that putting many 3-Strikers in rehabilitation programs costs much less to
society overall
than simply putting them in prison for 25 years or more. In addition, there are
preventative
programs that can be used rather than the prison cell. Each $1 we spend on prisons is a
$1 that we
could spend elsewhere (or not be taxed in the first place). 
The problem with only addressing crime by locking people in prison is that it has done
nothing to
alleviate the roots of the problems that cause crime in our society. Other people are
born and
grow up in the same areas where the previous offenders lived and will probably commit the
same
acts because the underlying problems still exist. 
There is much evidence that the gap between the wealthy and the poor is growing in the
United
States. Unfortunately, the U.S.'s response to the problem has been: The rich get richer,
and the
poor get prison. To focus on street crime and drug-related crimes can be considered a
hidden
way to set up concentration camps for the poor and minorities. There is much evidence
that
white-collar corporate criminals cause much more economic wealth to be illegally
distributed and
can result in many more deaths and injuries than street crime (e.g., violating safety
standards in
employment, emission of environmental hazards). Does society spend as much to enforce the
laws
on them? Are they sent to prison for the same sentences as the poor street criminals? Are
wealthy
users of drugs ending up in our prisons?
The control and punishment models adopted by the U.S. may cause other problems. Social
rebellion and deviance among the young may increase. And, in an opposite manner, some of
our
youth may embrace control and punishment as the answers to all our problems. A growing
devision among these two groups could cause extreme problems in the future.