What is the scope of the social justice issue?
Driving under influence of alcohol is associated with occurrence of accidents. Alcohol causes impaired judgments and individuals cannot make accurate decisions regarding traffic rules and driving becomes a challenge since the operation of the vehicle itself is not well coordinated such as speed and lane discipline (Rand et al., 2012). Consequently, accidents such as falling off ditches, vehicle collisions occur resulting to death of individuals and serious injuries that leaves some people totally disabled. Drivers under influence of alcohol are not only a risk to the people on board but also to the pedestrians and other road users. This falls within the scope of social justice since in some situations drivers under the influence of drugs/alcohol or any other category of crime that may be directly or indirectly related to drug or alcohol use is usually a manifestation and the hence the outcome of a mental issue, hence underscoring the need to afford such offenders fair hearing and inquiry into the primary cause, notably, mental issues.
How is this a human right/social justice issue?
A fair hearing devoid of criminalization or stigmatization is a legal right for every offender and essentially, extending this right to people who have committed crimes under the influence of alcohol or drugs is quite in pursuit of this legal framework. Majority of people under this class of offence are mistaken for just being reckless which in most scenarios may not be the case, hence obscuring justice and fair hearing to these individuals.
What is the current situation?
As of the current legal standards, there exist scarce opportunities for individuals under this line of offense to undergo through investigation, including a through mental assessment. A huge majority of these cases rarely deviate to other possibilities which could be mitigate or exonerate the offender from the crime. This subsequently subjects the victims to social stigma and un-deserved criminalization.
How is nursing addressing the issue?
The nursing fraternity is charged with the role of advocacy and as of now, the nursing profession is pursuing a position in the legal processes involving such cases. This is through being part of the evidence-creation team through offering mental assessment to offenders under drug/alcohol use. On the other hand, psychiatric and mental care nurses are rendering quite appreciable and visible efforts towards rehabilitation which comes as an alternative to serving a jail sentence or as a corrective measure.
What are the societal impacts and consequences of the issue if it is not addressed?
These issues affects the society as a whole not as an individual. If the issues are not addressed the society is at a position of losing important persons who can highly contribute to the development of the economy. Health care for such a society would be highly affected since most people would have mental disorders and thus the health of the nation will deteriorate (Rand et al., 2012). The main of health care team is to be leading in development of a healthy nation. In the case of youths, if the issues are not addressed they get involved in risky sexual behaviors and that consequently end up contracting and spreading Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Infections. They also end up in fracas at the clubs and problems of alcohol poisoning occur leading to deaths.
According to CDC (2016), about nine thousand nine hundred and sixty seven individuals died out of alcohol-impaired driving whereby a significant number lead to fatal injuries. In addition, underage driving under influence of alcohol has become an emerging issue that need to be addressed to improve safety of the society. Losses incurred in accidents such as death, treatment of the injured and taking care of the permanently disabled individuals has become a social issue in that the expenses incurred adversely affect the economy of a nation (CDC, 2016). The finance that could otherwise be used in development is spent in hospitals in treatment and also taking care of people who get disabled and can no longer take care of themselves and their families. This situation can be improved by imposing very severe punishments, fines and penalties on individuals who drive while drank since they pose a risk to society in large (Lorenc et al., 2012). The law enforcement should however, impart justice depending on the magnitude of damage caused by drivers.
What long term changes must be made to improve and/or eliminate the situation?
Alcohol-related crimes are however can be solved by proper investigation on drivers before imprisoning or fining them. This is because some drivers have mental disorders, or other problems such as addiction. In such cases, it is advisable to rehabilitate and give guidance to the drivers. In some situations, stigmatization and criminalization of alcohol or drug-related cases such as driving under the influence, present a more expansive picture than meets the eye, hence underscoring the need for digging deeper into the motivation behind committing the crime-something that may extend from just an intentional crime to serious underlying mental problems. Of course, the purpose of the law and healthcare at large is to make the world a better place for everyone, hence eliminating stigmatization or criminalization from the context. There is the need to seek immediate actions that are intended to prevent unnecessary stigmatization and criminalization of these individuals and as a matter of fact, there currently exist adequate infrastructure to help in doing so. This is essentially through conducting a proper investigation into the issue, in a bid to unearth what may be invisible cause of the problem. On the other hand, once this has been done, it is pretty essential to undertake strategies that pursue to lessen the magnitude of criminalization or stigmatization by treating the case as a mental issue instead of a criminal issue (Mostyn, Gibbon & Cowdery, 2012). Among the strategies that can be used include; rehabilitation as well as mental, emotional and social support for these individuals. By so doing, we will be treating the root cause and not just the manifestation or the symptoms, hence placing mental illness at the bigger picture instead of a crime or social vice which are more prone to stigmatization.
What current actions can be taken to lessen immediate impacts?
Currently, criminal activities are directly related to alcohol and alcohol dependence as well as drug and substance abuse. Alcohol dependency is whereby some individuals cannot operate without use of alcohol and usually comes after one has become totally addicted. They behave normally when under influence of alcohol (Duso & Stogner, 2015). There are diverse effects of alcohol consumption including increased emotional reactions (Heinz et al., 2011). Persons under influence of alcohol therefore can easily get involved in crimes. Alcohol gives a feeling of boldness to face challenges and as a result improper judgment affects behavior of the individual adversely .On the other hand crimes involving driving under influence of alcohol can also be as a result of mental problem. Some people have mental disorders which are suppressed through medication.
What programmatic or corrective actions could produce these changes?
These issues can be addressed by educating the victims of alcohol abuse on its effect. On the other hand, the alcohol related crime victims should be rehabilitated. Psychiatric Association research imply that early exposure to alcohol abuse can cause neurological problems especially for the youth below twenty five years of age. The brain of the human being is in gradual development up to the age of twenty five (Heinz et al., 2011). When this neurological process is interrupted by drugs leads to short and long term effects, such as blackouts and other brain disorders that are difficult to treat. Health care providers can improve this situation by advising the youths to involve themselves in constructive activities that will not affect their future life. The use of media and advertisement should be regulated since it is inciting the youth to get into drugs. The health care providers can also liaise with the law enforces to come up with strategies for regulating and the use alcohol especially on the roads (Mostyn, Gibbon & Cowdery, 2012). For instance, imposition of legal drinking age above twenty five years and also increasing the number of years that people should attain before they are licensed as drivers. The traffic safety should ensure that there is provision of sobriety checkpoints in states that people have higher tendency of driving while under influence of alcohol or other substances that interferes with normal human mind judgments (Duso & Stogner, 2015).
Who else is addressing this issue in your organization? Why or If no one else is addressing it, Why not?
My organization is guided by the mission to see fair and just treatment of mental illness patients and as such, fellow healthcare providers such as nurses and counsellors are helping to address this issue through different professional engagements such as research and advocacy.
Conclusion
While alcohol or drug-related crimes such as driving under the influence of alcohol requires a legal intervention, there is enough evidence to suggest that this problem is multi-faceted and touches to healthcare. In majority of these cases, the victim has no direct intention to commit a crime but crime happens as an uncontrolled outcome of mental intoxication. This warrants the treatment of this issue as a mental and social issue and not as a criminal issue. The outcomes of criminalization and stigmatization are far debilitating to the individual and instead of helping in correcting the problem, they actually exacerbate the issue, posing a behavioral, health and social risk to the victim (Mostyn, Gibbon & Cowdery, 2012). This being the case, there is the need to eliminate criminalization from the equation to a certain extent, at least to an extent where it is ruled out that alcohol/drug use and the subsequent crime is out of negligence and recklessness (Shield, Parry & Rehm, 2013). Not until this has been proven, there is an accentuation to dig deeper into the bigger picture and unveil the underlying cause of the behavior-something that may turn out to be physiological or mental. For instance, alcohol or drug dependence should be handled as a mental health issue, hence exonerating the victim from a crime in a bid to arrest the occurrence of outcomes related to criminalization and stigmatization. This problem requires both long-term and short-term approaches. As an immediate intervention, there is the need for considering rehabilitation, social and emotional support for individuals suffering from alcohol or drug-related behavioral problems (Livingston et al., 2012). On the other hand, on the long term, there is the need for restructuring the laws related to alcohol and drug related crimes, so as to factor in the possibility of a mental problem, instead of just dealing with the issue from a legal framework (Shield, Parry & Rehm, 2013). Additionally, education to youth and the larger population of victims affected by this problem is quite promising in terms of helping arrest the problem in the long-term (Livingston et al., 2012). Equally, parenting and school-based programs should be pursued so as to prevent drug or alcohol addiction at early stages of life.
References
CDC. (2016). Impaired Driving: Get the Facts | Motor Vehicle Safety | CDC Injury Center. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html
Duso, A. J., & Stogner, J. (2015). Re-Evaluating the Criminalization of In Utero Alcohol Exposure: A Harm-Reduction Approach. Wm. & Mary Bill Rts. J., 24, 621.
Heinz, A. J., Beck, A., Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Sterzer, P., & Heinz, A. (2011). Cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms of alcohol-related aggression. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 12(7), 400-413.
Livingston, J. D., Milne, T., Fang, M. L., & Amari, E. (2012). The effectiveness of interventions for reducing stigma related to substance use disorders: a systematic review. Addiction, 107(1), 39-50.
Lorenc, T., Clayton, S., Neary, D., Whitehead, M., Petticrew, M., Thomson, H., & Renton, A. (2012). Crime, fear of crime, environment, and mental health and wellbeing: mapping review of theories and causal pathways.Health & place, 18(4), 757-765.
Mostyn, B., Gibbon, H., & Cowdery, N. (2012). Criminalisation of Drugs and the Search for Alternative Approaches, The. Current Issues Crim. Just., 24, 261.
Rand, M. R., Sabol, W. J., Sinclair, M., & Snyder, H. (2012). Alcohol and Crime: Data from 2002 to 2008. BiblioGov.
Shield, K. D., Parry, C., & Rehm, J. (2013). Focus on: Chronic diseases and conditions related to alcohol use. Alcohol, 85, 2.
