No more jail time for minor crimes!
According to Times, Crime exploded in the 1980s and 90s. Many officials responded with harsh crime sentences. Since then, things in the justice system have gotten worse and it has left little impact on individuals. If you read our recent article, regarding the Prison Reform, people who perform minor crimes are being sent to jail when they don’t need to be. Many people believe that a prison sentence will fix their mindset of criminal actions. One major solution to prison reform is eliminating lower-level crimes altogether.
Minor crimes are criminal acts that include the following: theft, public intoxication, simple assault, intoxication, assault, reckless driving and more. It is important to realize that sentences should be to help prevent crime, not punishment. According to Prison Policy, the low-level offenses account for 25% of the daily jail population. 13 million misdemeanor charges enter into the American criminal justice system each year. Prison Policy states “People charged with misdemeanors are often not appointed counsel and are pressured to plead guilty and accept probation sentences to avoid jail time.” This means that people will feel pressured into pleading guilty which undermines the American principles of justice.
When it comes to criminal acts in America, youths are being held for nonviolent offenses or no crime at all. The crimes that are being performed by the youth are the following: drug trafficking, position of weapon, auto theft, assault and robbery. While most people believe that incarceration is the only alternative for punishment, there are different alternatives. There are programs and facilities that help individuals who perform minor crimes.
The Worth Center
One facility that helps individuals is the Worth Center. The Worth Center is in Lima, OH. A residential community facility that helps the following counties: Allen, Auglaize, Hancock, Mercer, Paulding, Putnam, Shelby, and Van Wert. The Worth Center helps both males and females placed on probation by the Common Pleas Court that otherwise are sent to incarceration in a state penal institution. This program helps individuals by providing insightful skills to become caring community members. They focus on needs such as criminal history, peers, criminal attitudes/behaviors, education, employment, family and support, and neighborhood problems.
By sending the person to a treatment and habilitation facility, the individual will learn more than what they would be doing in prison. Rehabilitation programs provide the person to learn more about his or her issues and learn how to change their behavior to not commit a crime again. Studies show that the person who is in a treatment center is less likely to commit a crime again compared to a person going to prison. The person who is in prison will only be left to sit and think of their choices, rather than trying to overcome their issues. By using cognitive behavioral therapy, the individual can also improve their mental health as well.
When it comes down to prison reform, it is important to realize that there must be change. There are prisons that are overcrowded due to the high numbers of people being sentenced. People who are performing small and minor crimes such as money laundering, reckless driving, and theft should have a different alternative. The low-level offenses count for a quarter of the population in jail.
It is important to realize that there must be change. There are different programs and facilities that help individuals become better. One including The Worth Center. This program helps people who are on probation who would otherwise be sentenced to prison. They help teach the individuals skills to become caring individuals after they get out. This is the kind of benefit we need to help the prison reform. We need to come together and help individuals and families and overcome the system in a different way.
Sources:
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2020.html