Review and reflect on the Impacts on Criminal Justice System Discussion Board. Based on your review and reflection of new learnings in this course, write at least 400-600 words on the following:

• What have you learned from others' responses?
• What were the most compelling points from the interaction with your fellow students?
• How did participating in this discussion help in your understanding of the Discussion Board task?
• What approaches could have yielded additional valuable information in the students' networking?
• What is still unclear after the discussion with your classmates that needs to be clarified?

use this to review and reflect

Negative Impacts of Drug and Alcohol on Crime Victims:

Conviction on drug and alcohol-related felonies often result to negative/adverse effects on one’s future as well as physical being. Three popular categories of drug are hallucinogenic, stimulants and depressants which are particularly responsible for abuse or dependency. Prominent among abused drugs are alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana known to have destroyed many lives as the brain gets used to the substance(s) or become dependent and dysfunctional without them.

Dependency or excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to alcoholism with serious health problems like liver damage, brain-cell death and other severe medical condition called Cirrhosis. Drugs like cocaine can result in body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure with prolonged use, heart arrhythmia, seizures, strokes ulcer, and certain health complications such as difficulties with coordination or memory loss, i.e., defective mental function. When most drugs are abused, they can affect the brain by interfering with chemical messengers (neurotransmitters), or the brain can be overflown with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that deals with emotion, movement and pleasure. Short and long-term consequences of drug may include ruined future/careers, deaths or physical harms by abusers, and other criminal indulgencies. Again, there are personal problems attached to crime victims such as disruption and problems in relationships, friends and family originating from arguments and behavioral changes.

The impacts of alcohol and drug on criminal offenders, using cocaine and amphetamines (preferably Methamphetamine injection) for example, result in extreme high (ecstasy) that leads to aggressive and violent behavior because the drug goes into the bloodstream directly. Because cocaine is a very expensive habit to support, the user may end up with crimes like burglaries and robberies. Often abuser get killed for owing sellers/distributors of the drug (Bartol & Bartol, 2008). Alcohol on the other hand, as the most popular sedative could lead to the crimes of sexual/child abuse, domestic violence, and as a suppressant, interferes with the nervous system with such outcomes as impaired judgement. There are long-term consequences of drug and alcohol-related offenders. Individuals so convicted may be denied certain benefits such as grants, or licenses by judges, local housing denials for convicts, cash assistance or food stamps, social security assistance if one is handicapped as a result of drug or alcohol dependence, as well as student loan or financial aid.

The negative impacts of drug and alcohol on the criminal justice system include the burdens imposed by drug laws and law enforcement. Law enforcement efforts against drug use and trafficking in the United States must align with the constraints of the constitution and many jurisdictions involved. There must be balance between crime control meant to protect the security and societal safety, and the due process of the law that seeks to protect individual rights of the 4th Amendment – against unreasonable search and seizure and/or the exclusionary rule that may render searches and seizure obtained illegally in admissible in courts. This is an expensive process, time consuming and in most cases result to corruption within law enforcement. In a bid to reduce the supply of illicit/illegal drugs the prison system has become overcrowded, not to talk of the cost of arrests, prosecution, imprisonments, ridding trafficking networks of drugs, etc.

Interventions Implementable to Counteract the Negative Effects of Drugs and Alcohol:

Chemical treatment such as methadone maintenance, application of psychological treatment such as group therapy, behavior modification and other programs such as mandatory civil commitments, inpatient chemical dependency programs, therapeutic communities and support groups are good approaches to treatment. Other measures may include decriminalization of certain drugs such as marijuana and steps that can reduce harm.