Women Who Use Drugs Are Caught Up Within A Cycle Of Prison...

Women who use drugs tend to be caught up in a cycle of prison and reoffending. The article written by Margaret Pereira is her personal account of the damaging effect that incarceration can have on a woman and her family. Pereira posits that something should be done to curb the cyclical nature of drug use and incarceration. She notes that since the advent of the war on drugs the amount of offenses created by arresting drug users has increased the workload of officers significantly, rather than reduce their workloads. She felt the criminal justice system was biased against her because she was not a â€Å"good mother† and that the judge only took her child into account in order to punish her. In the end, she was a twenty eight year old mother, addicted to heroin, and convicted of smuggling one kilo of cannabis resin who’s â€Å"sentence was 10 years with a non-parole period of 6 years.† (Pereira, 2002, p. 154) She viewed the punishment as more severe than was necessary, proposing that the judge also punished her for being an unfit mother. Pereira states that â€Å"around 85% of the Australian prison population serves time for drug related activities.† (Pereira, 2002, p. 154) That is a rather high rate of incidence in the prison population, which is directly impacted due to the War on Drugs. She also states that â€Å"for many women the effects of prison tend to be more negative than for men because women often have more to lose by going to prison.† (Pereira, 2002, p. 154) She furtherShow MoreRelatedThe Needs Of Incarcerated Women Face When Serving Time2723 Words   |  11 Pages Incarcerated Women Christopher W. Fischer Women in Criminal Justice November 25, 2014 Fall Semester Professor Spelchen The research topic will focus on the needs that incarcerated women face when serving time. Prison or jail life can be difficult for people of all ages, genders and races. It is a place where offenders go to serve hard time because of the crimes they have committed. While prisons and jails have come a long ways in regards to treatment and facilities