From: judgebean23x@gmail.com   
      
   Alcohol and Crime   
   Alcohol Misuse   
   The vast majority of people who consume alcohol do so safely and responsibly.   
   In fact, according to the NIAAA, moderate consumption may even produce   
   significant health benefits. Conversely, in 2004, the NIAAA estimated that   
   17.6 million people in the U.S.   
    were dependent on or abused alcohol.   
      
   Driving While Intoxicated (DWI)   
   In the mid-1980s, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) brought the DWI issue   
   to the forefront, launching one of the most successful public awareness   
   campaigns in history. Yet, while drunk driving continues to garner a great   
   deal of attention from public    
   interest groups and the media, each and every year:   
      
   Nearly 10,000 people are killed each year on U.S. roadways in alcohol-related   
   accidents   
   Hundreds of thousands more are injured   
   Alcohol-related crashes cost American taxpayers over $100 billion   
   Nearly 1.4 million people are arrested for a DWI each year and 780,000 are   
   convicted   
   Of those convicted, one-third are sentenced to community corrections   
   Two-thirds of those sentenced to incarceration are repeat offenders   
   Alcohol Misuse and Other Crimes   
   In 2008, the Pew Center on the States reported that an astounding one in every   
   100 adults in the U.S. was behind bars. While drunk driving gets the most   
   attention, the incidence of other alcohol-involved crimes including domestic   
   violence, underage    
   drinking, and assault has reached staggering proportions.    
   Research surveys have found that:   
      
   5.3 million adults - 36% of those under correctional supervision at the time -   
   were drinking at the time of their conviction offense   
   40% of state prisoners convicted of violent crimes were under the influence of   
   alcohol at the time of their offense - the more violent the crime, the greater   
   the likelihood that alcohol was involved   
   25% of state prisoners given a standard questionnaire to screen for alcoholism   
   tested positive   
   In 2000, U.S. agencies surpassed the $100-billion-a-day barrier in spending to   
   incarcerate individuals with serious addiction problems. Rehabilitating and   
   managing offenders who misuse alcohol has proven to be extraordinarily   
   difficult. Despite    
   traditional sanctions and ever-increasing terms of incarceration, addiction   
   drives many of these offenders to continue committing crimes, resulting in a   
   revolving door.   
      
   Alcohol- and drug-involved offenders are overwhelming the criminal justice   
   system, creating unwieldy court dockets, burdensome caseloads, and overcrowded   
   jails and prisons. Yet, programs and sanctions have had little impact on the   
   rate of alcohol-   
   involved crime. Incarceration, the traditional justice solution, is   
   inordinately expensive and minimally effective at best. Virtually everyone   
   involved in this issue agrees: We cannot afford to incarcerate our way out of   
   the problem.   
      
   These problems are exacerbated by the fact that there are no national   
   standards for:   
      
   Identifying offenders with alcohol misuse issues (screening, assessment,   
   evaluation)   
   Sanctioning them for their criminal activity   
   Providing them with the treatment and care they need to make better decisions   
   Monitoring them to ensure rehabilitation   
   The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and scientists   
   around the world have conducted significant research about the effects of   
   alcohol, the nature of and consequences of alcohol misuse, and potential   
   treatments for those who need    
   help. Unfortunately, much of this information has never reached policy- and   
   decision-makers in the criminal justice system. Barriers to change are   
   widespread, including:   
      
   Lack of resources: Justice officials grapple with insufficient staffing, huge   
   caseloads, heavy turnover, and a lack of resources. This combination of   
   challenges makes it difficult for them to identify, embrace, and implement new   
   programming.   
   A system built on conflict: The justice system is an adversarial system where   
   decisions typically are based on argument, rather than collaboration.   
   A fear of change or political fallout: The justice system is built upon   
   decades of tradition and precedent. Change is difficult, and practitioners   
   often fear political fallout from any missteps, making them very risk-averse.   
   The issue of alcohol misuse and crime impacts not just offenders and their   
   victims. Spouses, friends, family, employers, and communities all struggle   
   with both the human and the economic toll of alcohol misuse. The trickle-down   
   effect is staggering.   
      
   http://www.alcoholandcrime.org/issues/alcohol-and-crime/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)