Failure to Properly Treat Inmates Who Struggle With Substance Abuse - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1874 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/03/18 Category Analytics Essay Level High school Tags: Failure Essay Did you like this example? The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations (CDCR) mission statement asserts, We enhance public safety through safe and secure incarceration of offenders, effective parole supervision, and rehabilitative strategies to successfully reintegrate offenders into our communities (Rehabilitation, 2017). Dont let the word Rehabilitation in their name fool you into thinking this is actually what they are accomplishing with the few drug programs and services in place behind their prison walls. Drug abuse is running rampant in California prisons. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Failure to Properly Treat Inmates Who Struggle With Substance Abuse" essay for you Create order Just today I read a news article about San Quentin State Prison and how they have has a spike in opioid overdoses averaging about one overdose a month. The Bureau of Justice Statistics claims that 76.9% of drug offenders get arrested for a new crime within five years of their release, implicating that drug offenders have among the highest recidivism rates of all prisoners (Matthew R. Durose, 2014). The aim of this paper is to examine this problem by looking at the current drug treatment options available in CDCRs facilities, explain why they fail to properly treat drug addictions, as well as to explore possible alternative options. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking, continued use despite harmful consequences, and long-lasting changes in the brain. It is considered both a complex brain disorder and a mental illness. Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or amphetamines. Treatment includes medication for depression or other disorders, counseling by experts and sharing of experience with other addicts. According to CDCRs Division of Rehabilitative Programs branch, they provide numerous rehabilitative programs and services to both prison offenders and parolees, to help offenders leave prison so they can succeed in their futures despite past obstacles. All of CDCRs rehabilitative programs are offered on the basis that the offender is serving, or has served, their time on good behavior and if the ser vices are determined to be in need. As I reviewed their website, I saw a list of their programs offered and I was only able to allocate one that was listed as a Substance Use Disorder service. The only other service I saw that was similarly related was called Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery Program, except that is only offered to inmates who are 4 years from their release date. To find out more about the type of drug rehabilitation taking place inside CDCRs prisons and their effectiveness, I interviewed two inmates, one which I will call Travieso and the other which I will call Cholo. Travieso is serving his 13th year of his 15 year sentence at California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison (SATF). Cholo is serving his 10th year of his 13 year sentence at California State Prison Los Angeles County (CSP-LAC). Between the two of them, they have done time in nine different California prisons including: Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, California State Prison (CSP) Los Angeles County, CSP Sacramento, CSP Corcoran, Folsom State Prison, Kern Valley State Prison, Salinas Valley State Prison, Calipatria State Prison, and California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison Corcoran. This has given them the opportunity to experience how these facilities differ from each other, witness the drug problems, and see what programs and se rvices are offered to inmates who struggle with substance abuse. I asked them both a series of questions and to no surprise, their answers seemed to echo each other. Through my interviews with Cholo and Travieso, I quickly realized that the CDCRs website has a way of glorifying their focus and efforts on rehabilitation. From the information I received from these inmates and my research, there is only one drug program offered in prison, and its called Narcotics Anonymous (NA). From what was described to me, NA is an inmate-led peer support group for recovering addicts, where they share their experiences/stories and follow a 12-step program. There is no real addiction counseling or intervention from doctors or therapists. This class always has a long waiting list to get into, which can be about a year wait or longer. The waiting game often discourages inmates from signing up, unless they have a parole date coming up. In CSP-LAC, each yard offers two NA classes, each made up of 30 inmates, and lasts one year long. Each yard houses about 1000 inmates, which means that the drug rehabilitative program (NA) can only be utilized by 6% of the prison population per year. In addition to this, once inmates finish their NA program, they go back to their routine prison life, dealing with the drugs and temptations on their own. Prisons do have program counselors, but both Cholo and Travieso say that their counselors dont really care, which makes meaningful treatment difficult. Meaningful treatment cannot be achieved in a place where staff members are also often the same ones smuggling in contraband and drugs into the prison for a nice extra payoff. Staff members whose mission is supposedly to successfully reintegrate offenders into our communities, contradict that with their crooked actions. They are not helping, they are setting them up for serious failure and to be stuck in this toxic addiction cycle. To find out more about these inmates feelings, views, and opinions on this issue, I asked them, What do you think contributes to the drug addiction problem inside prison? Travieso claimed that prisons lacked programs to keep inmates productive. At SATF they are regularly put on lockdown and Travieso believes that the reason most inmates turn to drugs is because they are bored, depressed, stressed and tired of the same routine of daily prison life with nothing to look forward to but walls. Similarly, Cholo said , emotional distress is the reason why drug addiction is a problem in prisonjust waking up and realizing youre in prison makes you miserable and you just want to find an escape. I took some time to reflect on their words and realized that while in prison, these inmates suffer imprisonment in many different forms: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual†and they have no one to positively support them, leaving them nothing else to turn except violence and drugs. After my research and interviews I was able to conclude that the idea of rehabilitation in CDCRs prisons is great in theory, but not in practice. There is a dire need for more programs that support drug addiction recovery inside prisons. The more programs there are, the less waiting lists, and more of the inmate population will have access to self-help. This may include services such as addiction counseling, mental health services, drug detox, behavioral therapy, doctor visits, and more interaction with experts who genuinely are there to rehabilitate. Having regular visits by counselors, psychiatrists, therapists and physicians will provide inmates with a dependable support system and consistency. Instead of continuing to lock down humans that are already locked up, CDCR should give them something productive to do. By providing more jobs or even hobby classes, inmates can have something to look forward to, something to get them out of their cell and temporarily escape their repetitiv e routine in hell. Art, music, and crafts are just some examples of therapeutic ways inmates can express themselves and relieve physical tension, mental stress, and emotional anxiety. Until CDCR give inmates opportunities to participate in healthier, more positive options, drugs and violence will continue to be the easiest form of dealing with the physical, mental, and emotional trauma of life in prison. Sustained drug use in prison is explained by the fact that many prisoners suffer from drug addiction and dependency, and their drug taking in prison is seen as a continuation of their addictive and habitual behaviors in the period before imprisonment. I wanted to further explore the perceptions on drug use from the group who uses drugs (prisoners) and the group who tries to prevent, detect, sanction and treat drug use (prison staff) in prison. Prison staff emphasizes drug addiction and prisoners troubled life trajectories when explaining in-prison drug use. Prisoners, on the other hand, explain that drug use can be a way to alleviate some of the pains of imprisonment; an integral part of social life in prison; a route to status in the prisoner community and a defiant way to subvert institutional rules and expectations. Imprisonment as such does not appear to motivate prisoners to reduce their drug taking behavior in prison. It is argued that the extent of drug use in prisons derives from a complex interaction between factors such as availability, drug control strategies and the drugs psychopharmacological properties (Mland, 2016). Marijuana and heroin are the most commonly used prion drugs because both drug types are reported to aid relaxation, relieve stress and counteract boredom. More specifically, heroins attraction lies partly in the way that it kills time, alleviates anxiety and allows the user a temporary escape from reality. The use of these drugs makes prisoners better able to cope with the hardships of imprisonment. Drug use is thus interpreted as a form of self-medication and as a coping strategy. One thing both parties can agree to is that illicit drugs are running rampant in our prison system. The availability of these drugs inside prison walls becomes an inhibiting factor for rehabilitation. How can you stay away from drugs when its surrounding you? In addition to that, there is not just drug addicts in prison, there are also drug dealers. Drug dealers in prison are prone to using various tactics to preserve the number of drug users within the institution to maintain their lucrative business and keep their profits high. This type of peer pressure can be coupled with intimidation, threats, and violence as well. These inmates are confined to their tiny cells for most of their days, which often times can be tedious and boring. This can cause psychological deterioration as well as physical soreness, aches, and pains that can develop from being limited in movement due to their limited space. Knowing that you have to serve a sentence in prison is sometimes a harsh reality to accept and not all inmates know how to just do their time productively. Inmates that go to school and work inside the prison at least have something going for themselves. They are able to get out of their confined spaces for a few hours. When this is not the case, inmates will seek out drug use in order to provide them with a sense of purpose to their day. In conclusion, research and studies done on drug use in prison has been correlated back to both the deprivation and importation models. The deprivation model implies that drug use might well be a means of adapting to the pressures of confinement, and adaptation that might occur independently of outside prison influences (Woodall, 2010). This implies that a substantial number of inmates become involved in drug use only after they have been confined. The importation model would create a direct link between pre-prison experience and prison behavior (Woodall, 2010). The implication with regard to drug use would be that drug use inside the prison is associated with influences outside the prison, whether that be pre-prison involvement in drug use, or the way they were brought up and other life experiences.

My First Day Of School - 917 Words

Since September, my AP Language experience has drastically changed paths many times. This class has challenged me mentally, yet is not the hardest and most challenging thing I have ever done. I came into the year, and the class, with a relatively open-mind, but majorly underestimated my writing abilities. Since that ill-fated September day, the first day of school, I have gained an exceptional amount of confidence when it comes to my writing abilities. Needless to say, I definitely feel challenged this year, which was much overdue. It was an adjustment from just being able to whip up an essay up from nothing, to having to critically think about what I was writing. This year, has definitely pushed me as a writer, and I feel as though I have gained a vast repertoire of writing strategies. Overall, I would rank the class at a medium level of difficulty, as I do not find it easy, but it is also not impossible. In terms of overall experiences, I am beyond satisfied with my growth and the time that is devoted to developing our skills. I was elated beyond belief when I started the year out at a 6/9, because I had doubted my abilities and did not think that was remotely achievable. Additionally, the amount of time and practice that we do to develop and maintain new skills is phenomenal, because it allows me to use all the new techniques in my everyday writing. Over the course of first semester, I have discovered my true writing strengths and vices. As far as strengths, I feel asShow MoreRelatedMy First Day At School837 Words   |  4 Pageshard push on my side. Slowly I opened my eyes. I just see the sun’s rays creep through my windows and flash me right in my eyes. Slowly I got used to the light. I finally got up and could open my eyes fully. I hear my mom yell get up it’s your first day of school. I Got up took a shower, got dressed, ate my breakfast, and I was out the door on my way to school. 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My first day at life school was very eventful though i made a name for myself. I started at Life School Lancaster in the third grade, and i came about a month after school started because i transferred from a different school. I got into trouble and they gave me a tally which is just something to show you did something they didnt like. At first i thought i was getting kicked out, but through time i learnedRead MoreMy First Day At School733 Words   |  3 Pagesbecause it was my first day of school. First I went to take a shower; I thought, â€Å"What I would do in school today, who will be my teachers. Then I walked to the bus stop people looked at me like Im not from this planet. I sat on a tree trunk waiting for the bus. The bus arrived after 15 minutes, I aboard the bus. The driver was a woman she was wearing a black shirt and brown pants. 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The meaning of beauty essay Free Essays

I believe that beauty Is In the eye of the beholder. What one person would consider a flaw; another might think it an adorable quirk. Since no one is Identical, this means there’s no true definition of beauty. We will write a custom essay sample on The meaning of beauty essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now It’s all based on our perception. First of all, the way we perceive beauty Is affected largely by the media. Growing up In a heavily media Influenced culture; many people believe that being beautiful Is synonymous to being â€Å"hot†. In movies, the ugly† girl rarely ever â€Å"gets the guy’. The way television portrays beauty Is wrong, and hurtful, because It reinforces the Idea that to be beautiful, you must be attractive. Beauty Is more than Just skin deep. The word â€Å"beautiful† encompasses the mind and soul of a person, not Just their body and face. Regardless, people may argue that the meaning of beauty Is Ingrained In us biologically. What we find â€Å"naturally attractive† helps us define who an Ideal mate would be. But now that the arrival of our race doesn’t depend on our reproduction, we can redefine the definition of beauty to suit our psychological needs. People have ruined their health and taken unnecessary risks, since they’re willing to do whatever it takes to be â€Å"beautiful. † In conclusion, saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder would embrace the fact that there are infinite definitions for this word. For this reason, I celebrate that beauty is more than what is merely on the outside. How to cite The meaning of beauty essay, Essays

United Leadership model Boss Subordinate Relationship

Question: Discuss about the United Leadership model for Boss Subordinate Relationship. Answer: Introduction In the current century, effective management of human resources in any organization is vital to the success of the organization. Undoubtedly, human resources serve as one of the most vital resources that plays an indispensable role in the success of an organization. However, management of human resources has posed a hydra-headed dilemma to the management of most organization because of the complexity of managing people from different cultures, attitude, skills and experience, motivations, goals and objectives, and different levels of education. Although there exist an array of leadership models that serve to provide a guideline for the management of human resources, none of the models is without its drawbacks owing to the areas of departure that exist between different organizations, environment, and the people themselves. It is undeniable that the world has evolved to a new corporate village characterized by globalization and cross-culture working. As such, it has become necessary t o revise the traditional leadership models to reflect the current developments in the corporate world. The essay seeks to provide a succinct summary of a personal leadership model and how it would fit in an organizational set-up. Research have established that the main source of conflict and resistance among employee to change implementation stem from the lack of involvement of employees in decision-making (Yukl, 2012, p. 3). Consequently, the employee feel looked down to and undervalued and may turn hostile against the organization. As a leader, I would involve the employees in the decision-making at different levels to solve this problem. However, its undeniable that there exist some decisions which should be privy to the top management and employees should have no access to such information. Therefore, the inescapable conclusion at this point drawn from the psychological nature of employees would be to make such decisions in the absence of the employees; however, this would assure the organization of failure caused by employee resistance (Peng, 2012, p. 6). It is at this critical point that I would adopt the popular leadership model by direct involving the employees in medium level and operational decision s and partial involvement of employees in major and strategic decisions. Main organizational ideas in democratic leadership As a leader adopting a democratic leadership model, I would prefer working in a manufacturing company in which every employee is allocated a specific duty in a specific department such that he/she is accountable to the departmental head in that department . Further, in this system, one employee or a group of employees should be responsible for a specific level/stage of product processing. I would leave employees to make certain decisions on matters affecting them. I would delegate authority to make decisions such as when to break for a rest to the employees but not without oversight. After making the decisions, the employees should communicate the decision to me for the final approval. If I fails to agree on the employees decision, I would negotiate with the employees and reach a unanimous agreement. According to the human behavioral theory, though the decision I leave in the hands of the employees involve minor issues, the employees would have a feeling of belonging and feel self-actualized (Grint, 2000, p. 12). The leadership model would further encourage a good interpersonal relationship between the management and the subordinates. The leadership model would serve to eliminate the boss-subordinate relationship and create a team member relationship between the senior management and the junior employees. Important traits and skills of an effective leader As Adair (1973, p. 52) argues, to some extent the capacity to effectively lead is innate. However, we cannot overlook the fact that being a more effective leader lies within ones grasp. Given the difference in culture, age, tastes and preferences, levels of education, and economic background just to mention a few factors, I believe that the most fundamental trait of an effective leader include; The ability to respect and understand the employees. As it is often said, respect and understanding serve as the pillars of humankind. Integrity in leading the employees (Gronn, 1995, p.26). Excellent communication skills- Various studies have established that famous and effective leaders possess excellent communication skills which immensely assist them, particularly when negotiating with employees or external parties such as the suppliers on behalf of the organization. Self-confidence and positive attitude. Self-assessment- Bergmann et.al, (1999, p. 87) argues that effective leaders periodically stop to conduct a self-assessment. The constantly stop to take stock of their dire weaknesses and strengths. Such an act allows the manager to establish which duties to delegate and which to handle himself (Burns, 1978, p. 60). Core values that my model of leadership (democratic leadership) would emphasis on Teamwork among the employees. Innovation and creativity in finding suitable solutions to the problems affecting the organization. Integrity and honesty Prudence Passion and enthusiasm to instill a feeling of self-confidence in the employees. Such a value would assist the employees in building their dreams and using their current experience as a touchstone for more prosperity in their career (Bass, 1990, p. 76). Good interpersonal relationship between the management and the subordinates. What the leadership model practiced in united leadership is seeking to achieve United leadership model primarily seeks to create a sense of belonging to the employees. By leaving some operational decisions in the hands of the employees (but not without oversight). According to behavioral theory, the fact serves to increase job satisfaction and self-actualize the employees. The model further seeks to create teamwork and improve the interpersonal relationship among the employees to boost the organizations performance. As Blake and Mouton (1964, p.117) argues, such a model would motivate the employees to engage not only their mind but also their heart and soul for the benefit of the organization Benefits of united leadership to the organization As a result of involving the subordinates in the day-to-day management of the organization, the latter would benefit immensely in several ways. It would create a feeling of value in the associates; consequently, they would raise their level of commitment, effort, and dedication to meet organizational objectives. It would enable the employee improve their analytical skills and make better day-to-day decisions as well as create a strong bond of responsibility in decision making. By delegating some of the decision to the subordinates, I would free up myself to focus on major issues affecting the organization (Belbin, 1993, p. 209). Organizational culture that would exist in united leadership The leadership model would create an adhocracy oriented culture given its core value of innovation and creativity. The adhocracy oriented culture appeals to entrepreneurship and creativity (James and Posner, 1987, p. 31) to solving the problems facing the organization in a manner that assists achieving organizational objectives. Differences between the united leadership model and other leadership models Unlike the old school models that merely involved employees in decision making, united leadership model seeks to assign specific decision-making authority to the employees. However, owing to the limited skills of the employees and lack of proper expertise, the model advocates for oversight of the employees decisions. As such, employees would develop decision-making skills and find innovative ways of solving the problems facing the organization. Further, unlike in other leadership models where a boss-subordinate relationship exists, united leadership model advocates for team players leadership where the subordinates feel they play a special role in the management of the firm. They further feel they can negotiate with the management of the issues affecting them. How to personally implement the united leadership model To implement the leadership model I would create a work environment in which the employees share a meeting of joint decision making with the senior management particularly the departmental heads. I would delegate some of the decision-making authority to my subordinates and leave them to discuss and reach a decision after which the former I would review the decision and either approve it or engage the subordinates in a discussion to adjust the decision to reflect organizational goals. As Rowe (2007, p. 37) notes, such an act would serve to boost the subordinates confidence and create an air of trust between the management and the subordinates. Conclusion Human resource serves as one of the main determinants of organizational success. As such, they must be handled with due care and alertness owing to their sensitivity. However, managing/leading people is inarguably one of the most complex processes and no qualities, standards, or values of leadership can perfectly reflect the nature of leadership that would make one organization successful and another unsuccessful. Therefore, an effective leader should adapt his managerial and leadership skills to suit both the nature of the organization and the nature of the situation. Leadership primarily seeks to generate goodwill among the employees such that they can willingly work with a lot of commitment with little or no supervision. Such employees are often highly motivated, committed, focused, and have a sense and feeling of belonging. They feel they are working for their greater advantage and not to solely benefit the organization. Given these crucial facts, a leader must exploit all method s that would serve to boost the employee's morale and self-drive. One of the main methods to do so is by involving them in decision-making process especially on the issues affecting them. References Adair, J., 1973. Action-Centered Leadership. New York: McGraw-Hill. Belbin, R. M., 1993. Team Roles at Work. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Bergmann, H., Hurson, K. and Russ-Eft, D., 1999. Everyone a Leader: A grassroots model for the new workplace. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Blake, R.R., and Mouton, j. S., 1964. The managerial grid. Houston TX: Gulf. Burns, J. M., 1978. Leadership. New York: Harper Row. Grint, K. C., 2000. Literature Review on Leadership. Cabinet Office: Performance and Innovation Unit. Gronn, P., 1995. Greatness Re-visited: The current obsession with transformational leadership. Leading and Managing 1(1), 14-27. James, M.K., and Posner, B.Z., 1987. The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Peng, A.C., 2012. Embedding ethical leadership within and across organization levels.Academy of Management Journal,55(5), pp.1053-1078. Rowe, W. G., 2007. Cases in Leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Bass, B., 1990. From transactional to transformational leadership: learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18, (3), winter, 1990, 19-31. Yukl, G. A, 2012. Effective leadership behavior: What we know and what questions need more attention.The Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(4), pp.66-85.