Questionnaire or Interview on Effects of Substance Abuse on Prisoners in Austin, Texas - Assignment Example

In doing this, the study focuses on establishing the reasons for the prevalence of substance abuse in Austin prisons as everything has its own cause. This is what will be used to determine the negative impacts on prisoners despite the existence of rehabilitation and treatment centers to take care of drug users. The questionnaire addresses all issues related to the effects of drug abuse on prisoners in Austin. Introduction Substance or drug abuse is a pattern of harmful and injurious use of drugs for purposes of altering one’s mood.

According to Chang (2010), substance abuse refers to the consumption of illicit drugs for purposes that are meant to interfere with the normal mental condition of a person. Substance abuse is prevalent among many prisons in the modern world. There has been an increase in the rates of substance abuse in Austin prisons (Texas Statistical Report, 2012). This has been due to the fact that many prisoners want to forget their situation of being locked up in an institution with no freedom of movement.

They, however, do not consider the long-term effects that substance abuse imposes on their lives as they are only focused on the short-term impacts, which in this case, is the altering of the normal condition. They do not consider the health and economic challenges that they incur later as a result of substance abuse. These conditions alter their social way of lives in one way or the other. Objectives of the study Specific objective I. To establish the effects of substance abuse on prisoners in Austin, Texas Other objectives I.

To determine the prevalence of drug abuse in Austin prisons II. To determine the challenges faced by relatives of drug abusers in Austin Hypothesis I. Ho: there is no relationship between a weak criminal justice system and prevalence of substance use in prisons. H1: there is a relationship between a weak criminal justice system and prevalence of substance use in prisons. II. H: drug-related offenses influence drug abuse in Austin prisons H1: drug-related offenses do not influence drug abuse in Austin prisons III.

Ho: there is no relationship between negative effects on substance abusers and challenges to relatives of substance abusers H1: there is a relationship between negative effects on substance abusers and challenges to relatives of substance abusers A Questionnaire on Effects of substance abuse on prisoners in Austin, Texas SECTION A Personal Details 1. What is your name? (Optional) 2. What is your age? A. Below 18 years B. 18-30 years C. 31-40 years D. 41-50 E. Above 50 3. What is your education level? A. Primary B.

Secondary C. Tertiary D. None 4. What is your religion? 5. What was the reason for your incarceration? Explain Possible answers to this question could be drug-related offenses or other offenses that may lead to incarceration. Jennifer et al. (2012), notes that drug abuse is implicated in three kinds of offenses related to drug. That is offenses related directly to drug abuse such as theft to get money for drugs, offenses defined by drug sale or possession, and offences related to a way of life that disposes an individual (substance abuser) to engage in unlawful activities.

This may take the form of associating with other lawbreakers or with illegitimate markets. Therefore, most of the responses from interviewees on this question could be that they were imprisoned because of directly drug-related directly offenses.