Criminal Activity has been a topic of controversy for centuries. Throughout time, crimes that have been committed by felons have led to a variety of results. Examples of criminal activity are assault, murder, stealing, vandalism, etc.. Dependent on what society a criminal is living in, punishments can vary from simply paying a victim back with currency to the classic “eye for an eye” method. Unfortunately, crime is still a more prevalent matter in today’s society. The reasoning behind this is that our justice system uses punishments that criminals feel are no longer valid. The way criminals are being punished is not effective because of drug use, social class, ignorance, and mental disorders, which in turn should lead to a different way to carry out discipline.

Since drugs are easily accessible, it is commonplace for criminals to have an addiction to them. Considering that most drug abuse is a crime in itself, continued use will most likely lead to further offenses. To support this statement, addiction to drugs can alter a user physically, emotionally and socially. The article from the National Institute on Drug Abuse claims, “Chronic use of some drugs can lead to both short- and long-term changes in the brain, which can lead to mental health issues including paranoia, depression, anxiety, aggression, hallucinations, and other problems” (NIDA). The National Institute on Drug Abuse also states that some of the commonly abused drugs are alcohol, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamine etc. (NIDA). Furthermore, many crimes that are committed by drug users is them actively trying to obtain money to buy more drugs. Two frequent ways that criminals seize money or valuables is by property crime and violent crimes. When drugs are known to have been present during a crime where violent behavior has been shown, it will be seen as a drug-related offense. When a criminal has drugs in their system, the first thing they think about is what they want. The thought of, “What consequences will this action have?” will not cross their mind once because the majority of the time, their mind is only focused on one thing. It is also important to note that any offense that has an individual under the influence of drugs will be considered a drug-related offense. In addition, an offense that is drug-related also includes the manufacturing, distribution and possession of narcotics. When a person is under the influence and commits crimes without having a second thought, it shows that something is at fault in our justice system.

Sending criminals to prison that abuse and have an addiction towards drugs increases their likelihood for further use and at a more rapid rate. While some inmates may get treatment for their mental problems, the majority will not receive any form of treatment. If these people are left untreated, the issue that brought them to prison in the first place will just become a larger dilemma. Moreover, inmates that are in prison for drug offenses are the largest percentage compared to other crimes that have been committed. According to BOP statistics, individuals with drug offenses were at the top of the list with a total of 76,125 inmates, which is 45.4% of the total prison population (“Federal Bureau of Prisons”). To compare, the second-highest percentage of inmates are in prison for weapons, explosives, and arson sitting at 30,967 inmates or 18.5% of the total prison population (“Federal Bureau of Prisons”). If more convicts were treated or had some form of help group, similar to alcoholics anonymous, they would benefit greatly and the amount of drug-related crimes would be reduced. Instead of having long sentences with no form of treatment, narcotics abusers should be required to go to therapy. Forcing a person to refrain from using drugs by putting them in prison is not going to stop them from addiction in the future. After being in jail for a period of time, people having difficulty with a substance use disorder will, in all likelihood, continue to use substances. If the justice system does not put tools in place for drug users to be treated, drug-related crimes will increase and the same individuals will keep being sent back to jail.