The article talks about the failure of the criminal justice system of the United States.It emphasizes on the need of increasing rehabilitation centers for the drugs victims instead of increasing or building additional prisons for the young people in the United States. The article also shows how the United State government has spent more money in reforming prisons yet the offenders graduate to a more hard core criminal than before taken to prison. So lastly, it views jail and prison sentence as the last option.
In the first section of this article, Lorenzo Jones the director of the Connecticut-based A better way foundation uses the term ‘necessity as the mother of invention’ to express the needs of thinking and believing beyond the expectation of the many non reformists. It is clear that he put much contemplation in this presentation for he argued that, state and federal anti-drugs and other tough on crime incarceration strategies were counterproductive and they were dramatically reshaping the American society at a staggering fiscal and moral cost and they weren’t succeeding.
Furthermore, Mike Thompson the director of the New York- based council of state Government’s justice centre, included idiomatic phrase that incorporated conjugation of “I think the criminal justice system is more under the microscope because of the fiscal situation." To remind readers how easy it is to forget the figurative usage of common words. The word’ under the microscope’ as used in this sentence shows that the criminal justice is keenly looked because of the fiscal situation of the country.
Moreover, as you read down the article, Jones has clearly stated achievement made by different states in acquiring the new policy of rehabilitating the criminal justice system. “Some state and localities are also starting to reinvest in restorative justice model, putting offenders to work to repair the damages they caused the community rather than simply warehousing them in prison." It shows achievement made. He further uses examples clearly to prove how these radical changes worked in a certain school, where kids broke tin and they were punished by cleaning desk, cleaning classroom and later emerged to be the best kids in the school. It was the best result than sending them to juvenile and their life were turned around.
The uses of example in this article help the reader to deeply figure out exactly how the action was carried out. ‘Father George Horan has spent a lifetime watching youngster do stupid things and, as a result, ruin their life. He has seen generation of kids graduate from being troubled children to hardcore prisoners.' By reading this example of father George, you simply get to know the disadvantage of taking your kids to prison.
Lastly, we find that America’s antidrug strategy is more racially skewed. Millions of poor young Americans black and brown are the one arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to jail or prisons for their involvement with the drug trade. Moreover, the US president Barrack Obama denounces the war on drug slogan that he uses during his presidential campaign. These last sentences shows lack responsibility and failure to deliver the campaigning agendas after gaining power.
In summary, the writer has used all the necessary words to put out his points clearly. He has used examples to let you get the real picture in writings, the use of metaphors to let you think deep, and the use of more than one source of information.
In my own opinion, the article is well presented. The writer started with low tone and finished with high tones, the flow is also good. The strength of the article is well presented, the goal is somehow achieved, the need of changing criminal justice system by building more rehabilitation centre rather than jails. The weakness is also there, it seem as if the war on drugs can never be won because some of the citizens have doubts about the criminal justice systems of their country.
