“In-Custody Treatment and Offender Reentry.”

Source:
“In-Custody Treatment and Offender Reentry.” The White House. Office of National Drug Control

Policy. Web. 17 March 2015.https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/in-custody-treatment-and-reentry

Summary:

This source focuses mostly on rehabilitation for offenders incarcerated for drug related offences, and their reentry into society. The statistics, provided by the Bureau of Justice, indicate a need for certain prisoners to receive treatment for successful reentry ("United States"). This source also dispels myths related to the rights and the benefit eligibilities of inmates reentering society with information provided by the Council of State Governments Justice Center ("Reentry Mythbusters").

Quality:

This article seems to be a source of reliable information. It’s published the White House’s official website which increases the credibility of the research and statistics examined, and the information provided comes from dependable sources such as the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The author isn’t listed on the website but it has the White House and the Office of National Drug Control Policy to validate the source’s dependability.

Issues:

The main focus of the information provided pertains to treatment of offenders with a history of substance abuse, and although rehabilitation programs are mentioned in the source, there is never a real explicit explanation of what the programs do to help with reentry.

Key Words and Phrases:

In-Custody Treatment, Offender Reentry, Criminal Justice System, Recidivism, Probation, Parole, Drug Courts, Incarceration , Treatment, Prison, Jail, Drug-Involved Offenders, Crime, Substance Abuse, RSAT (Residential Substance Abuse Treatment), BOP (Federal Bureau of Prisons), BJA (Bureau of Justice Assistance), NIC (National Institute of Corrections)

Quotes:

“[I]t is critical that prisoners being released from prison or jail and reentering society have access to skills and services that will prevent them from re-offending in the future.”

“High rates of recidivism mean more crime, more victims, and more pressure on an already-overburdened criminal justice system.”

Source Link:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/in-custody-treatment-and-reentry

Works cited:
"Reentry MythBusters." The Council of State Governments Justice Center. CSG Justice Center, 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.

United States. U.S. Department of Justice. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Probation and Parole in the United States, 2009. By Lauren E. Glaze, Thomas P. Bonczar, and Fan Zhang. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 2010. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.

"Drug Court Offers Offenders Rehabilitation Instead of Jail Time"

Source Link:
http://wrvo.org/post/drug-court-offers-offenders-rehabilitation-instead-jail-time

Summary:

In the article Chanatry tells us about the fairly new Drug Court in Oneida county New York.  He states that "Drug courts are in every county of the state of New York now due to their success."  Chanatry also interviews Judge John Balzano. The process Judge Balzano uses is a set of guidelines and rules offenders must follow, or they get jail time.  "The guidelines are there will be random drug screenings, offenders must be clean for a year, must attend every court date, must live in a safe structured enviroment, must be active in a job or schooling, must be off any kinds of welfare, must do 60 hours of community service, and avoid certain people." ("John Balzano") It is a very tedious demanding process, but in my opinion it is more then a fair trade off for breaking the law.  "Some participants choose to do this process instead of jail time." Scott McNamara says, "The rehab programs save money because a lot of these people get 10 to 20 convictions if they are not treated properly." This is good news for tax payers because the public is paying for the same inmate over and over again.  If a prisoner stays out of jail they can also pay taxes, and no one will have to pay for his or her livelihood in jail every time they go back.  Chanatry even interviews a prisoner.  "This woman was locked up for continuing to satisfy her heroin  addiction, but now she is drug free about to finish the rehab program." ("Dave Chanatry")  At first she did not want the treatment, because she felt nothing was wrong with her.  Now she is grateful for the opportunity to get cleaned.  "Numerous studies indicate the courts significantly reduce crime and drug use, and half the adults in adult drug courts finish the program." ("Dave Chanatry") The results are different in some other rehabilitation programs though.  If more states and counties take strides for rehabilitation like New York has. Maybe crime rates will start falling, and second time offender rates will fall as well.

Quality:
The good thing about the article is that it is only a year old. Chanatry  gives a very detailed interview on the way Oneida County New York rehabilitates drug offenders instead of incarcerating them. He uses great people to interview like District Attorney Scott McNamara, William Virkler, Judge John Balzano, and a female prison inmate.  You can also listen or read the interview, which can be convenient.

Issues:

 The bad thing is there isn't any sources to back up the people he interviewed, although  some of the people he interviewed are considered credible resources.

Key Words and Phrases:
Oneida County New York, drug offenders, rehab, Drug Court, community service, public assistance, addiction, treatment, recidivism

Quotes:
"I think the measure of a good justice is to take a fact pattern and be harsh when it's time to be harsh, and be lenient when it's time to be lenient," William Virkler

Works Cited:
Dave Chanatry “Drug Court Offers Offenders Rehabilitation Instead of Jail Time” Interviews With, District Attorney Scott McNamara,William Virkler Sitting Town Justice and Professor of Criminal Justice at Utica College,Unknown Female Inmate, and Judge John Balzano: May 30, 2014.