In the United States, illicit drug usage is something that runs rampant throughout
all areas. Minor possessions are something that are come across on a daily basis,
and the American justice system, in turn, deals with this by incarcerating many
of these people. McQuilken and Copan, are quick to point out the difference in
sin and crime, and why these things go punished. Although things like
drunkenness, or drug usage, and even prostitution, effect people in some way,
they are often overlooked. But, when complained about, or even on a large
scale, they can be disrupted, and these people end up serving time in prison.% As
the book, The New Jim Crow goes over how many young men of color end up in
prison, disrupting the familial system due to petty crime, there are several things
that the United States justice system could do better so that families can stay
together, crime can be addressed, and things that cause harm to others can be
avoided. Rehabilitation and education are two things that I think would be a
great alternative to jail time for minor drug possession. For this, someone would
be written a ticket, and required legally to attend a class or set of classes that
would educate them on drug usage and the negative repercussions for
themselves, their family, and those around them.% And, it would help rehabilitate
them towards lack of drug usage, and encourage them to find other monetary
sources, and point them in the right direction. By giving these people an option
for rehabilitation, they would get time with other people who struggle with the
same thing as them, showing them they are not alone, they would gain time with
educators and volunteers, creating friendship, and mentorship, and they would
also get time to think about how they can help shape their life and their families
lives by avoiding drugs. Because this scenario is about minor drug possession,
there would be a heavier implication on education of what doing things under the
influence could mean for them, for example, having a car wreck under the
influence and in turn, accidentally being at fault for manslaughter. %Regardless,
in every circumstance, there will always be someone who would rather evade
rehabilitation, education, punishment, or any other repercussion because we live
in an imperfect world. Personally, I think this is the best option, but I do not think
that it solves the problems at hand, nor is it the perfect solution. It is something,
though, that must be addressed because of how many young lives, and families
that it impacts.
