Planned change is a process that needs a continuous implementation of elimination of the demand for illegal substances. Setting up goals and objectives would unilaterally resolve the drug problem eventually, as absent demand. Thus, the impetus for the drug trade would disappear. Therefore, the cost of social and health costs related to drug abuse would reduce. Goals and objectives establish a framework for the program to be effective. They create a direction for the program. They also make the goals and objectives measurable through periodic assessments of items achieved. Goals have the mission of orienting the integration activity and budgets of the program committed by predisposition to mitigating drug use and its consequences. The goals should remain constant; supporting objectives that allow for measurable progress. However, they should remain modifiable as success gets achieved with the emerging challenges.
The start with, the first goal is to educate and enable the youth to reject illegal drugs including alcohol and tobacco. Educating parents or other caregivers, teachers, coaches, health professionals, clergy community leaders, as well as, business persons will help the youth reject illegal drugs and underage usage of alcohol and tobacco.
The values are lost and attitudes and behavior among the youth forged by families and communities that support them (Miller, 2011). The program on alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention will be successful when parents and other concerned adults get involved in the efforts already at play. Adult role models should get provided with information and resources that they need to educate young people on potential negative consequences of drug use. Furthermore, they should also receive training on how to spot the signs of youth hat already engage in drug abuse. The parents can steer the young people from this wrong path to one that is of benefit to the youth and the society.
In addition, pursuing a vigorous advertising program to the public would deal with the dangers of drugs, alcohol and use of tobacco by the youth and underage minors. The program will convey antidrug messages through multiple outlets that prove to be effective in increasing knowledge and in attitude changing on drugs. Previously, the trend in adolescents decreased the risk perception connected to drug use correlating with a drop in the public service announcements and frequencies.
Promoting zero tolerance policies for the youth on the use of illegal drugs, tobacco and alcohol within schools, workplace, family and the community reduces substance use cases. In so doing, children are less likely to use illegal drugs and illicit substances when the program prescribes the activity throughout the society. When schools and the communities demonstrate the will and the ability to reduce rates of drugs-usage, the success must be enlarged by the efforts concerned. By including several sectors of the community in implementing the strategic goals of the program, would realize a decline and complete end to these problems.
The second goal relies on increasing the safety of citizens by reducing drug-related crimes and violence substantially. In strengthening law enforcement, it includes the local drug task to combat drug-related violence cases, interfering with criminal activities and running organizations while arresting the leaders related in illegal drugs syndicates. In addition, improving the ability of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) would be of much help in encountering drug trafficking. The areas that need special assistance when trafficking is of such intensity poses extreme challenges in enforcing laws that the program lays. Reinforcing the local responses to such activity situations with federal resources reduces drug-related crimes. According to Boisvert, Stadler, Vaske, Wright, & Nelson (2013), research concludes that low self-control has emerged as a strong predictor of criminal products and foul behaviors.
Consequently, by helping law enforcement in disrupting money laundering would seize criminal assets. It would target drug dealer assets taking profitability out of the illegal market of dealing with drugs. The goals of the program should be able to enforce laws making their efforts effective as the program get backing from anti-money laundering regulations and support from the financial sector. That will include banks and financial institutions, as well as, multilateral protocols criminalizing drug proceeding movement and laundering.
According to Ford & Blumenstein (2012), peer influence and opportunity moderate self-control on substance use. Developing, refining and implementing effective rehabilitations with the program includes graduate sanctions and treatment for drug abusing offenders and accused persons in the criminal justice system. Most of the heavy drug users have exposure to the criminal justice system annually. That interface helps in providing opportunities in motivation to addicts to stop the use of drugs and substance abuse.
Additionally, the program should lay an objective that breaks the cycle of drug abuse and crime. The program should be obliged to assist all in the criminal justice system to turn out and remain drug-free. Rates of recidivism among inmates given treatment are lower than prisoners who do not receive treatment. Drug courts and treatment programs within the criminal justice system provides their effectiveness. In reducing the drug usage rate and addiction sequences among persons within the criminal justice system, crime rates will reduce. Law enforcement and policies by the program should get informed by the updated research. When success gets attained in a once affected area, the results should be analyzed thoroughly in order to apply the lessons learned somewhere else.
In order to implement the program, a number of resources have to be in place. First, finance is crucial in the functioning of the program. In order to educate the majority of youth and members of the public, resources are necessary to facilitate the activities planned. For instance, the youth that require addressing may need reading and writing materials provided by the facilitating team. There is a need to reach a number of affected persons from different areas to address their self-esteem and control. That is because the combination of low self-esteem and high body influence are related (Woessner, & Schneider, 2013). Therefore, transport facilities should be timely availed, as well as, funds for servicing, maintenance and fueling the transport means. Youths tend to be more attentive and would participate more in physical lessons most importantly activities related to favorite sports. As such, there should be finance set aside for outside class activities that would fully involve them in order to meet the goals and objectives of the program.
Secondly, there is a need to get resource persons as an example that would influence them more effectively. These resource persons should be role models that changed and transformed into better people to the societies. In this way, it gives a practical lesson to the addicts that have lost hope and lost personal value. In so doing, there would be a higher possibility of changing their behavioral trends and attitudes, as well as, their perspectives of general living. Additionally, the use of films and banners should be incorporated as a resource in advertising to the public the dangers of drugs among the youth, community and the underage minors. Giving the public concrete reasons for the importance of higher studying and better working would translate to higher and better living.
Finally, security personnel should be used as a resource to enforce laws set against drug and substance abuse. There should be higher penalties laid to lawbreakers related to drug and substance abuse. It will help disrupt illegal activities circulating the use of substances and drugs.
Most importantly, there should be groups formed and constantly funded to encourage drug-free societies. Multi-group and structural models can get used together with data from the teens and the community based on national evaluation (McKee, 2012). Involving the communities to lead the groups formed, would be easier in coordination of following up on members as they are more familiar and would be easier in the identification process. Also, collecting and analyzing data from the groups on progress would be made easier. Involving the anti-drugs organizations would help in coming up with better strategies of handling the issues due to their experiences from previous cases and campaigns held. Involvement of the government in funding the program, as well as, provision of material resource could be of many advantages to the program’s success. The government agencies could help in giving advanced strategic ways that will help through their involvement in the program.
References
Boisvert, D., Stadler, W., Vaske, J., Wright, J. P., & Nelson, M. (2013). The Interconnection between Intellectual Achievement and Self-Control. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 40(1), 80-94.
Ford, J. A., & Blumenstein, L. (2012). Self-Control and Substance Use among College Students. Journal of drug issues, 43(1), 56-68.
McKee, J. R. (2011). The Moderation Effects of Family Structure and Low Self-Control. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 37(3), 356-377.
Miller, H. V. (2012). Acculturation, Social Context, and Drug Use: Findings from a Sample of Hispanic Adolescents. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 36(2), 93-105.
Woessner, G., & Schneider, S. (2013). The Role of Self‐Control and Self‐Esteem and the Impact of Early Risk Factors among Violent Offenders. Criminal Behavior and Mental Health, 23(2), 99-112.
