Rights/Crime in the
United States
By: Adrian Chochorek, Kassandra Hanson,
Joel Lopez, Karla Lopez, David Grinthal, Ali
Urban
Assigned by: Ms. Weller
This presentation focuses on crimes prominent in the US and in the news, such as drug use and human trafficking.This presentation also shows the struggles and debates regarding certain human rights in
America, like Civil Rights and Gay
Rights. Lastly, it covers the controversial punishment for crimes, capital punishment.
An Introduction to Crime in
US
According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports,there were 1,214,464 reported violent crimes in 2013.
14,827 being murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, 84,376 being rape,
354,522 being robbery, 760,739 being aggravated assault.
8,975,438 reported property crimes,
2,103,787 being burglary,
6,150,598 being larceny-theft, and
721,053 being motor vehicle theft.
In 2013, the most common offense (per 100,000 inhabitants) was property crime in both cities and suburban areas.
American Prison Statistics
According to the International Centre for Prison Studies, the American imprisonment rate as of 2013 was .698%. Of the imprisoned population, 9.3% are female, 5.5% are foreign prisoners, .3% are minors, and 20.4% are those being held temporarily or awaiting trial. The American prison population experienced a large increase from 1,937,482 in 2000, to 2,228,424 in 2012.
The female prisoner population rose from 158,629 in 2001 to 205,400 by 2013.
The most common inmate ages are between 31 and 40 years old, making up
36.6% of the inmate population. Inmates ages 18-21 make up only 1.2% of the population and those 65 and older make up only 2.2%. The most common offense recorded in these facilities are drug offenses, making up almost half of the BOP inmate population.
Drug Trafficking
Drug trafficking is the illegal production and distribution of controlled substances. The United States of America is the world’s largest market for illegal drugs like, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and methamphetamine. Drug trafficking has far reaching effects on American society, as it increases the presence of gangs and gang-related violence. The problem is that since the drug market is so large, it is a major source of income for many americans.
Drug Abuse
The abuse of drugs is a health, social, and law enforcement problem, which affects millions of people in the world.
Drug abuse causes serious public health problems. Users expose themselves to increased risks of contracting HIV infection, hepatitis-C, sexually transmitted diseases, and death by accidental overdose. Drugs also cause unhealthy addictions to them.
It erodes family relationships and is linked to poverty, work problems, and many kinds of crime. To get money for their drugs, addicts often resort to prostitution, larceny, or violent crimes such as assault or arson. Violence is also common among dealers who vie for control of profits.
Medical Marijuana
Marijuana is a hemp plant. For centuries, this plant was used as a painkiller, and today it’s used as a recreational drug that leaves its users with a “good’’ feeling. Physical effects of this drug include relief from pain and nausea, glaucoma, diabetes, Depression, and reduced muscle spasms. These effects are considered beneficial for medical conditions such as cancer, AIDS/HIV, epilepsy, and chronic pain. Psychological effects include hallucinations, short-term memory problems, mood swings and impaired judgment. Also, users could develop psychological addiction to the drug, but not a physical addiction. Since 1970 Marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug, this means that it has no safe medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Marijuana contains 400 chemicals, of these chemicals the one most pharmaceutically active is THC. The FDA has found that THC can safely and effectively treat nausea, and vomiting. Even though Marijuana has health benefits, it also has health risks. Such risks are that Marijuana contains carcinogens