Introduction to Criminal Justice

Crank: Made in America

My Question on the Video:

I wondered what the reason was for the extraordinarily low recovery rate for meth addicts, so I did some research. Here is what I learned.

Contrary to public perception, meth is actually more addicting than cocaine and heroin. This is because it affects the brain chemistry differently. Drugs such as cocaine and heroin modify the brain by imitating the neurotransmitters and inducing cravings. Meth is a different kind of beast in that it mimics dopamine and norepinephrine chemicals in the brain. Dopamine is the pleasure-inducing chemical and norepinephrine is the alertness-inducing chemical.

Whenever meth is ingested, the brain is forced to release more naturally-produced dopamine and norepinephrine until it can’t any longer. This is why meth addicts in recovery can sleep for days. Thus, they rely on the drug to stay awake, and to experience pleasure-related feelings such as “boosts in confidence, euphoria, invincibility, and increased sex drives.” However, the over-arousal expends much of their body’s resources, and can have health consequences.

“A single use of meth” can reside in a user’s body for up to six months, and the “drug has This means they require longer treatment than the usual 30 days. However, due to budget cuts and insurance issues, the duration of programs has been cut down to 14 days.

Additionally, there is a lack of education among the general public about meth. This extends to doctors and counselors, who aren’t well-informed about the differences of meth addiction compared to notorious addictions. This can affect the quality and funding of treatment for patients.

Poverty can comorbidity are the last two factors the article mentions. Though the drug isn’t limited to one socioeconomic group, it has a reputation for being “cheap and accessible.” Poverty can increase accessibility to the drug, and reduce accessibility to treatment.

Lastly, substance abuse is comorbid with mental illness. Meth is a drug more than others to be used for self-medicating. The self-medication can cause and/or exacerbate the mental illness due to meth’s tendency to produce psychotic reactions, which in turn can worsen the substance abuse in a vicious cycle. Thus, if the mental illness isn’t treated as an underlying condition, it can negatively impact recovery.

Source

My Observation on the War on Drugs:

I am not intimately knowledgeable on the War of Drugs. My impression from what I’ve seen and read is that that we allocate a large chunk of resources to cracking down on drug dealers and smuggling. I understand that we fund drug-prevention education such as D.A.R.E., but I wonder if we could do more to reduce the demand of drugs.

As you have seen in my other post about meth addiction, we aren’t doing all we could in treating drug addiction. By focusing on treatment, it could decrease relapses and recidivism. Another poster has said that our prisons are overcrowding from nonviolent drug offenses, while the violent offenders are being prematurely released. Imprisoning drug users (who don’t deal) instead of treating them is another thing we could do better.

I don’t know the feasibility of this approach, but it’s a thought. I would welcome any input.

The Courts

About five years ago, my dad had to sue his tenants in conciliation court for damaging one of his properties. Conciliation court is best described as a "small claims" court where one can file claims for $15,000 or less. Generally, one does need to be represented by lawyer, though it can help to seek advice from a lawyer. Only in conciliation court may an officer or manager represent a business or association.

To initiate the justice process, Dad had to go to the Hennepin County Service Center to file a suit. Nowadays, Dad says this can be done online. During or after he files the suit (I wasn't clear on that part), he must get his paperwork notarized, which is done to confirm the identity of the plaintiff. Once my dad received notice for the court date, he collected the evidence he was going to present in court. Dad says that it's of utmost importance to be organized: judges do not like to be kept waiting. As we've learned this week, courts are under heavy caseload and are understaffed due to budget cuts. The evidence he collected were letters, e-mails, texts, and photos he captured of the damages.

At court, Dad presented a folder of evidence for the judge and defendants as well as for himself. This is once again for organization and to streamline his presentation. So, when the judge asked my dad, "Did you notify the tenants of the damages and the costs;" Dad said, "Yes. You'll find my letter informing them about the damages on page 3." I asked him if the judge treated him and the defendant fairly; he says you never know what kind of judge you’re going to get, but he yes, the judge was stoic and asked questions from them both. When the defendants interrupted my dad, which was many, the judge told them to let him finish.

Dad says the judge started favoring him when the defendants admitted that the hole in the garage was from her car and so was the oil stain. The judge reportedly exclaimed to the defendants, “This isn’t normal wear-and-tear!” Additionally, appliances that my dad owned and had under warranty continued to break down, and the defendants did not let me dad know for about it for a year. My dad received the decision in the mail. The judge ruled in his favor, and the defendant paid for the damages.

Conciliation Court