Analysis Of Edgar Allan Poe And Emily Dickinson - 1203 Words

Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson were phenomenal Early American poets whose poems were in some ways similar in subject matter. However, they were a world apart in writing styles, and they both shared a common thread known today as Bipolar Disorder or Manic Depression. According to the description on MedicineNet.com Bipolar disorder is â€Å"Alternating moods of abnormal highs (mania) and lows because of the swings between these opposing poles in mood and a type of depressive disease. Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but most often they are gradual. Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment†. Mania includes increased energy, feelings of grandeur, intense happiness, irritability, sleeplessness and excitement. Depression on the other hand may include but is not limited to anxiety, melancholy, crying, and thoughts of suicide and death. Having Bipolar Disorder can also bring a heightened ability towards creativity in some individuals, as research is now finding out. Even though bipolar disease was not known during the time of these writers, you can look to their poetry and lives to see that they were suffering from the disease. They are well described today as tortured geniuses. In an article in The Baltimore Sun they quote that Dr. Jamison in â€Å"Touched With Fire† as writing [T]here is strong scientific and biographical evidence linking manic-depressive illness and its relatedShow MoreRelatedNathaniel Hawthorne s The Mind1900 Words   |  8 Pagesmesmerized by. These men were very successful writers and shared many of the same techniques within their stories. Carl Jung was born July 26, 1875, he died June 6, 1961. He was known for studying the human psychology. He was mainly interested in dream analysis and the collective unconscious. Carl Jung is another successful writer, during his career he was able to meet Sigmund Freud who was a huge inspiration to him. All three men Sigmund Freud, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Carl Jung all had the same generalRead MoreDeath Is Death And The Idea Of Death1290 Words   |  6 Pagesdeath. Human nature tends to fear things unknown and death is certainly an unknown except for the truth that death, one day, will come to you. When you begin to think of the death motif in writings one author that immediately comes to mind is Edgar Allen Poe. Poe often talks about death and beauty where the much of the focus and narration is placed on a recently deceased younger woman character without the woman’s physical presence in the poem. Works like â€Å"The Raven† â€Å"Annabel Lee† and â€Å"The Tell TaleRead MoreOutline Of A Literary Analysis Of The Insane Connection 992 Words   |  4 PagesOutline Structure for Literary Analysis Essay The insane connection II. Paragraph 1: Introduction (Use HATMAT) A. HOOK!! B. Authors Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson both use structural choices repetition, punctuation, and tone to shape the central idea of madness. C. Within â€Å"The Tell-tale heart† and â€Å"I felt a funeral in my brain† both writers write about the death of someone or something. D. Neither stories state the narrators’ names but throughout the stories, both are in first person pointRead MoreAnalysis Of Walt Whitman s I Hear America Poem1314 Words   |  6 PagesIndependence, Walt Whitman s I Hear America poem, and argumentative essays, like out The Raven analysis. We also gave speeches– that was the hardest for me, in my previous English classes, none of them made me go in front of the class and present–, made infograph, and even a multigenre project. We also can’t forget the books we’ve read in class, like poems from Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, and novels from F. Scott Fitzgerald, and we can’t forget novella like Of Mice and Men or shortRead MorePoetry Essay Prompt2545 Words   |  11 Pagesgroundhog. Develop your essay with specific references to the text of the poem. 1983 Poem: â€Å"Clocks and Lovers† (W. H. Auden) Prompt: Write a well-organized essay in which you contrast the attitude of the clocks with that of the lover. Through careful analysis of the language and imagery, show how this contrast is important to the meaning of the poem. 1984 NO POEM 1985 Poems: â€Å"There Was A Boy† (William Wordsworth) and â€Å"The Most of It† (Robert Frost) Prompt: These two poems present encounters with natureRead MorePoems with Theme with Life and Death and Their Analysis8446 Words   |  34 PagesEI WAI KHAING AN ANALYSIS OF THEMES ON LIFE AND DEATH OF SOME POEMS Abstract: Some basic elements of poem and types of poem are included in this paper. Although there are countless number of poems on Life and Death, only the ones which seem noteworthy are studied and analysed in terms of themes. Different opinions of different poets on life and death found in their poems are also presented and contrasted in this paper. This paperRead MoreCritical Essay on How Do I Love Thee?3017 Words   |  13 Pagesmethod used for this critical analysis. Mainly trying to focus the attention on the story behind the poem, more so, the story the poem tells. Another focal point is the story of how the poem was derived, where the title came from, and the story of her eternal love for her husband. This approach is used to find the purpose and meaning, the setting, and theme of the poem. Along with the dramatic approach, planned survey is used as a description tool. This provides the analysis of this artifact with structureRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesï » ¿TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS The purpose of Text Interpretation and Analysis is a literary and linguistic commentary in which the reader explains what the text reveals under close examination. Any literary work is unique. It is created by the author in accordance with his vision and is permeated with his idea of the world. The reader’s interpretation is also highly individual and depends to a great extent on his knowledge and personal experience. That’s why one cannot lay down a fixed â€Å"model†Read MoreAmerican Revolution and Study Guide Essay example5377 Words   |  22 Pages(Hint: refer to the Stamp Act riots-1765, â€Å"virtual representation) 10 points Vocabulary: John Hancock Marquis de Lafayette Abigail Adams Royal Veto Declaratory Act Quartering Act Boston Tea Party George Greenville King George III John Dickinson Virtual Representation First Continental Congress Boston Massacre Loyalists Samuel Adams John Adams Baron Von Steuben Thomas Hutchinson Adam Smith Mercantilism BOYCOTT Quebec Act Sugar Act Townshend Acts Stamp Act Hessians British

Nigerian Economy, Gdp and Production. Free Essays

NIGERIAN ECONOMY/GDP AND PRODUCTION Nigeria recorded a Current Account surplus of 11. 60 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product in 2011. Current Account to GDP in Nigeria is reported by the African Economic Outlook. We will write a custom essay sample on Nigerian Economy, Gdp and Production. or any similar topic only for you Order Now Historically, from 1980 until 2011, Nigeria Current Account to GDP averaged 1. 2 Percent reaching an all time high of 37. 9 Percent in December of 2008 and a record low of -18. 7 Percent in December of 1986. The Current account balance as a percent of GDP provides an indication on the level of international competitiveness of a country. Usually, countries recording a strong current account surplus have an economy heavily dependent on exports revenues, with high savings ratings but weak domestic demand. On the other hand, countries recording a current account deficit have strong imports, a low saving rates and high personal consumption rates as a percentage of disposable incomes. Nigeria recorded a Current Account surplus of 5035. 99 USD Million in the third quarter of 2012. Current Account in Nigeria is reported by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Historically, from 2005 until 2012, Nigeria Current Account averaged 2373. 87 USD Million reaching an all time high of 9455. 37 USD Million in December of 2009 and a record low of -4410 USD Million in September of 2010. Current Account is the sum of the balance of trade (exports minus imports of goods and services), net factor income (such as interest and dividends) and net transfer payments (such as foreign aid). INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION. In 2011 and 2012, Nigeria’s industrial production increased by 0. 10% as reported by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Historically, from 2007 until 2012, Nigeria Industrial Production averaged 3. 15 Percent reaching an all time high of 14. 90 Percent in December of 2011 and a record low of 0. 10 Percent in June of 2007. In Nigeria, industrial production measures the output of businesses integrated in industrial sector of the economy such as manufacturing, mining, and utilities. This page includes a chart with historical data for Nigeria Industrial Production. The data given on this page shows a year over year change in a seasonally adjusted Industrial Production Index. Industrial Production Index is an economic indicator that measures changes in output for the manufacturing, mining, and utilities. Although these sectors contribute only a small portion of GDP, they are highly sensitive to interest rates and consumer demand. This makes Industrial Production an important tool for forecasting future GDP and economic performance. Industrial Production figures are also used by central banks to measure inflation, as high levels of industrial production can lead to uncontrolled levels of consumption and rapid inflation. How to cite Nigerian Economy, Gdp and Production., Essay examples Nigerian Economy, Gdp and Production. Free Essays NIGERIAN ECONOMY/GDP AND PRODUCTION Nigeria recorded a Current Account surplus of 11. 60 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product in 2011. Current Account to GDP in Nigeria is reported by the African Economic Outlook. We will write a custom essay sample on Nigerian Economy, Gdp and Production. or any similar topic only for you Order Now Historically, from 1980 until 2011, Nigeria Current Account to GDP averaged 1. 2 Percent reaching an all time high of 37. 9 Percent in December of 2008 and a record low of -18. 7 Percent in December of 1986. The Current account balance as a percent of GDP provides an indication on the level of international competitiveness of a country. Usually, countries recording a strong current account surplus have an economy heavily dependent on exports revenues, with high savings ratings but weak domestic demand. On the other hand, countries recording a current account deficit have strong imports, a low saving rates and high personal consumption rates as a percentage of disposable incomes. Nigeria recorded a Current Account surplus of 5035. 99 USD Million in the third quarter of 2012. Current Account in Nigeria is reported by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Historically, from 2005 until 2012, Nigeria Current Account averaged 2373. 87 USD Million reaching an all time high of 9455. 37 USD Million in December of 2009 and a record low of -4410 USD Million in September of 2010. Current Account is the sum of the balance of trade (exports minus imports of goods and services), net factor income (such as interest and dividends) and net transfer payments (such as foreign aid). INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION. In 2011 and 2012, Nigeria’s industrial production increased by 0. 10% as reported by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Historically, from 2007 until 2012, Nigeria Industrial Production averaged 3. 15 Percent reaching an all time high of 14. 90 Percent in December of 2011 and a record low of 0. 10 Percent in June of 2007. In Nigeria, industrial production measures the output of businesses integrated in industrial sector of the economy such as manufacturing, mining, and utilities. This page includes a chart with historical data for Nigeria Industrial Production. The data given on this page shows a year over year change in a seasonally adjusted Industrial Production Index. Industrial Production Index is an economic indicator that measures changes in output for the manufacturing, mining, and utilities. Although these sectors contribute only a small portion of GDP, they are highly sensitive to interest rates and consumer demand. This makes Industrial Production an important tool for forecasting future GDP and economic performance. Industrial Production figures are also used by central banks to measure inflation, as high levels of industrial production can lead to uncontrolled levels of consumption and rapid inflation. How to cite Nigerian Economy, Gdp and Production., Papers

Specific Hedging Strategies of Exxon Mobil †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Specific Hedging Strategies of Exxon Mobil. Answer: Specific Hedging Strategies Derivative for Commodity Risk Exposure The following particulars are demonstrative of the exposure that shall be hedged via the utilization of the recommended derivative, the CME Crude Oil call options contract. Exposures to be Hedged Cost of purchasing the crude oil USD 1.04 B Percentage proportion to be hedged Fifty percent (50%) Derivative to be used CME Crude Oil Options Contract No. of derivative contract each hedged 10400000000/27=385185185 contracts Delivery months for each derivative December 2017 Prices at the time of Recommendations 27USD The companys engagement in the call option will allow Exxon Mobil to hedge the firms position changes in the crude oil prices. Via the purchase of the call option, in case the strike price are beneath the market prices, Exxon Mobil will be able to exercise the option at the expiry date (December 2017) and take the advantage of the low prices. On the other hand, in case the strike price of the contract is above the market price, then Exxon Mobil can opt for no exercising the firms option. Exxon Mobil, therefore, shall confine its downside of the premium paid to the writer of the option, nevertheless, the advantage benefits can go as higher as the surge in the crude oil prices in the market. Hedging for Foreign Exchange Risk It is obvious that most transactions of Exxon Mobils payables occur in USD and solely the sales in other currencies. The recognized a before tax loss/gain linked to the derivative instruments for the period 2016; 2015 and 2016 include -$0.081 billon, $0.039 billion and $0.11 billion. Hence, Exxon Mobil should never really wish to hedge the foreign currency exchange risk. The influence brought by the fluctuations in the value of the currency remains inconsequential to the Exxon Mobil (Pinceel et al. 2015). This is the reason Exxon Mobil rarely utilizes future contracts, swaps, commodity, currency exchange and forwards in mitigating against the foreign exchange risks. Foreign exchange rate fluctuations thus do not have material direct consequences to Exxon Mobil. Derivative for Interest Rate Risk Exxon Mobil holds a floating rate interest payment liability of 1 billion dollars and 11 billion dollars of fixed interest bonds. The firm has already engaged in certain initiatives to hedge to get rid of risks that emerge from the fluctuations in the interest rate. The fluctuations in the basis-point impacts of Exxon Mobils debt remains inconsequential to its earnings, cash flow or fair value (White, Li, Griskevicius, Neuberg and Kenrick 2013). The company has unrestricted access to internally generated funds thus guaranteeing its short-run and long-run liquidity and covering most of the companys financial needs. Exposures to be Hedged The floating interest payment of the 6 billion that the firm has to make Percentage proportion to be hedged 100% Derivative to be used U.S. Treasury Bond short future No. of derivative contract each hedged 6000000000/152.17=39429585 contracts Delivery months for each derivative December 2017 Prices at the time of Recommendations $152.17 Exxon Mobil will use the interest rate swap whereby it selects to pay the fixed rate of interest hence any fluctuations in fair value of swaps does not influence the earnings following the balancing off of the fair value fluctuations of hedged debt. The firm will pay the pre-existing floating rate debt utilizing the variance between the variable and fixed floating rate payments (Martinez-Garcia and Tarnita 2017). The firm will not exercise the future rather it shall close its position few days before the final expiry data. The short future contract shall be marked to the market and the firm shall assess the gains each day. The forecasts with respect to interest rate indicate precisely that the interest rate could in the future stay unchanged or surge. In case of constant interest rate, the firms risk shall be hedged. On the contrary, the firm will make a gain in case the interest rate surges by making future contract to the market thereby receiving value in access. In either case, the downside risk of the company is restrained via the investment in the short future in US Treasury Bond. Derivative for Liquidity Risk It is recommended that the Exxon Mobil must hedge with future cash flows contracts whereby the company will purchase more assets in gas as well as refining to make future cash flows to the business (Guo 2017). By engaging in the capital spending or purchasing new offshore oil drilling equipment, the firm shall be seeking to complement the liquidity structure and the liquidity hedging portfolio in the firms future cash flows. Exposures to be Hedged The short term non derivative based liquidity payment which the company has to make Percentage proportion to be hedged 100% Derivative to be used US Treasury Bond put option No. of derivative contract each hedged 42500000000/152.17=279292896 contracts Delivery months for each derivative December 2017 Prices at the time of Recommendations $152.17 Exxon Mobil has held a position in the put option thereby guaranteeing ownership of assets when the debt matures. The Exxon Mobil has a stronger projection with respect to the surge in the interest rates of country. Where there is a surge in the rates of interest, Exxon Mobil would solely secure a position to pay off the firms debt, however, the firm will further make a gain via the option settlement. Is the company adequately hedged? In my view, Exxon Mobil is sufficiently hedged. Why or why not? The firm has already engaged in hedging in the areas that required the hedging adequately. It is clear from the examination above that the firm has hedged in liquidity risk, interest risk and commodity price risks. In my view, the Exxon Mobil has not hedged only in foreign exchange risk but this is a good and convincing reason not hedging this risk. The reason being that the impact of such a risk remains immaterial to the firm as most of the transactions take place in the country except sales. In this sense, the variation in other countries currency has no bet effect on the Exxon Mobil and hence the needless to hedge in the foreign exchange rate. The firm will have nothing to lose by not hedging this risk and it can be said that the Exxon Mobil is fully and adequately hedge as a strategy to mitigate the risks associated with its operations (Dong, Kouvelis and Su 2014). What are your recommendations? It is recommended that Exxon Mobil undertake the hedging strategies already recommended in this paper based on the analysis as presented in the table to mitigate the risk associated with its operations. The firm has a broader operations as it deals in various economies which increasingly expose it to various financial risk. Exxon Mobil has made feasible policies for hedging such risks that confronts the business. Nevertheless, Exxon Mobil still has ineffective exposure to particular risks. The present riskmanagement strategies adopted by Exxon Mobil have significantly managed to mitigate the risks. Nevertheless, Exxon needs to embrace the strategies mentioned in the analysis to further improve the firms position and decrease the exposure to various kind of the financial risk confronting the business. References Dong, L., Kouvelis, P. and Su, P., 2014. Operational hedgingmanagement strategies and competitive exposure to exchange rates. International Journal of Production Economics, 153, pp.215-229. Guo, J.H., 2017. Hedging strategies for European contingent claims with the minimum shortfall risk criterion. Journal of Interdisciplinary Mathematics, 20(3), pp.637-647. Martinez-Garcia, R. and Tarnita, C.E., 2017. Seasonality can induce coexistence of multiple bet-hedging strategies in Dictyostelium discoideum via storage effect. Journal of Theoretical Biology. Pinceel, T., Vanschoenwinkel, B., Deckers, P., Grgoir, A., Ver Eecke, T. and Brendonck, L., 2015. Early and late developmental arrest as complementary embryonic bet-hedging strategies in African killifish. Biological journal of the Linnean Society, 114(4), pp.941-948. White, A.E., Li, Y.J., Griskevicius, V., Neuberg, S.L. and Kenrick, D.T., 2013. Putting all your eggs in one basket: Life-history strategies, bet hedging, and diversification. Psychological Science, 24(5), pp.715-722.

Mandatory Minimum Sentences and Drug Policy Reform free essay sample

The use of mandatory minimums within our judicial system is not winning the war on drugs. This country needs drug law reforms to turn the tide on the war on drugs, and minimize their impact on our society. This comes from rehabilitation programs that are more effective and less costly for our government. Introduction Our country has gone to extremes to try and win the war on drugs. There is no evidence to show that they have made any real impact in ending or even lowering the use of drugs in this country. In1986 the federal government enacted mandatory minimum drug sentences. These laws force judges to comply with a minimum prison sentence based on the nature of the drug crime. By doing this, the federal government has tied the hands of our judges to use their judgment depending on the case. Their argument for this is it will deter people from committing drug crimes in the future. We will write a custom essay sample on Mandatory Minimum Sentences and Drug Policy Reform or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page My argument is that we are treating an addiction which needs both medical and psychological help to resolve, not longer prison sentences. Argument for Mandatory Minimums In 1986 mandatory minimums were enacted to put an end to the cocaine and crack epidemic that was going on in our nation’s inner cities. The focus was if they could apprehend the drug kingpins and lock them away for many years in prison, they would lose their realm of control of the drug world. The reality of the situation is that many gang leaders are in prison today, and have just as much control over the drug trade as they did when they were free men. Many say that the laws have inadvertently become a racial problem within this country. Laws on mandatory minimum sentences are much harsher on crack than cocaine. Since crack is predominantly used among African Americans within this country, they received much harsher punishments than cocaine users who are predominantly white. Argument against Mandatory Minimums We are not simply dealing with a bad behavior that is a scourge on society. We are dealing with extremely addictive drugs that a prison sentence will do almost no good in helping people kick their habits, and thus their old way of life. These people need medical and psychiatric help in order to rehabilitate them into the nine to five taxpaying Americans that our country wants them to be. Many drug dealers started out as users and began to sell the drug in order to pay for their own habit. Mandatory minimum prison sentences for people who are sadly destroying their lives to maintain their own personal habit are not going to be reformed in our nation’s prisons. Most of the people within our prison system are their because of non-violent drug crimes. They are not horrible people who are their because of rape, murder, armed robbery, etc†¦ People who argue in favor of mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses say it is working by putting dealers behind bars. The fact is though that most of the people behind bars due to these laws are low level dealers. â€Å"In fiscal year 2005, 61. 5% of all federal crack cocaine defendants were low-level offenders such as mules or street dealers. Only 8. 4% were high-level dealers. † (Mandatory Minimums) Mandatory minimums only go by the weight of the substance that you were selling. It is clear by this data that the weights set in our current laws do not target high-level dealers as well as they were intended to. Rehabilitation Centers vs. Prison Rehabilitation of our country’s drug users not only has a higher success rate than that of our prisons, it is also more cost efficient. It is what you refer to as a win-win. The amount of people within our jail and prison systems is estimated to be above six million people. Approximately half of these inmates used drugs regularly the month prior to their apprehension. It is fair to say then that nearly half of our prison population is candidates for drug rehabilitation programs rather than prison systems. The average cost for incarcerating an individual for a year is $20,000. The average cost of treatment at a rehabilitation center is around $9,000. It currently costs our government around one billion dollars annually to incarcerate its prison population. By taking the half of the prison population that are habitual users and putting them in treatment centers, the government could save a quarter of a million dollars a year. Not only that, but the repeat offender rate for those that have gone through the treatment centers is only a fourth of that for prison sentences. Drug courts are a new movement going across our nation. A court system set up to deal with drug crimes only. Drug courts are set up to give first time offenders a second chance. Conditions of sentencing typically involve mandatory drug testing along with therapy. If first time offenders can successfully complete the treatment program in most cases their crime is removed from their criminal record. Since many first time offenders are juveniles or young adults, this allows them to receive federal aid through FAFSA. In turn it makes it easier for them to receive higher education services, which gives them a better chance at getting the skills they need for jobs. This in turn makes it more unlikely that they will revert to their old lifestyles of drug dealing now that they are treated for a drug addiction and have been given the tools they need to succeed. Drug courts are very strict though. If a participant in the program fails to attend a therapy meeting or has a positive return on a drug test, they are sent directly to jail. The program is only for those who want to change their lives. It is true that there are some people who do not want to change and they should be in jail if they do not want to reform to the laws of this country. The idea of drug reform in this country may be a daunting task, but it needs to be done. If we do nothing about the problem it will never go away, and as it has shown so far it will only get worse. The old ways of thinking are clearly not working. Something needs to be done about this problem. There is a reason why we have the highest incarceration rate of all industrialized nations. It is because half of our incarcerated citizens are non-violent drug offenders. If we can move towards treating an illness instead of punishing a crime, our country will be better off. Less people will be incarcerated and will be productive, moving our country towards a better tomorrow. Mandatory Minimum laws within this country need major reform due to the injustice that they create. While most of the injustice was done inadvertently, nonetheless it is still there. Our country has failed to take one step closer in winning the war on drugs. It is time for America to realize it has a drug addiction problem that cannot be fixed with lengthy prison sentences. Our country needs to change the mandatory minimum laws. Cocaine and crack need to be punishable equally. In this country it is estimated that there are four million people with addictions to either crack or cocaine. About half of the nation’s prison population is in there for non-violent drug offenses. With a prison population of one and a half million people, that’s three quarters of a million non-violent drug offenders not receiving the correct treatment. Cocaine use has continued to rise since the 1980’s while crack use has stayed steady. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in this country. It has had research to show that it is a gateway drug. Users of marijuana are more likely to try drugs like crack and cocaine. Studies show that most users of marijuana have tried the drug before their sophomore year in high school. Educational systems such as D. A. R. E. are already in place as good educational tools against drugs. Our society needs to be honest about the dangers of drugs. Many anti-drug commercials of the past could go as far as to say a hit of marijuana will make you kill your parents. Many commercials of today are starting to show more honesty. Instead of saying that buying pot is the same as putting money into the hands of terrorists, they are stating the truth that it does typically make you less active. This in turn usually leads to people not completing goals, and not completing any of their goals. Alcohol is the second most illegally used drug by minors. Education about the dangers of alcohol is equally important. Alcoholism is a major problem within this country, which typically has major effects on families. Alcoholism can lead to violent households. More teens die from drinking and driving than any other way of death. Alcohol like marijuana is considered a gateway drug. This is why it is so important that we attempt to stop irresponsible drinking behaviors. Essentially drug addicts are addicted to the feeling of euphoria that comes upon them when endorphins flood the brain with the use of the drug. Drug rehabilitation centers have found great success at treating people with addiction to crack and cocaine with anti-depressants. The National Institute of Drug Abuse is taking a different approach to the problem. They are developing a cocaine-vaccine that virtually eliminates all effects of the drug. This would ensure that even if an addict were to have a relapse, the drug would have no effect, and the incentive to do the drug is taken away. Dealers of crack and cocaine usually were crack and cocaine users first. These drugs are incredibly addictive. For users to support their habits many of them turn to dealing the drug. If our society can find a way to break the cycle of addiction there is hope that we can start to turn the tide on the war on drugs. Our government simply has to recognize that we are dealing with an addiction crisis, and not necessarily bad people who are the scourge of society. Drug courts are a new movement going across our nation. A court system set up to deal with drug crimes only. These courts are now operating or have plans to be operating in all fifty states. The first drug court was established in Dade County in 1981. Drug courts are set up to give first time offenders a second chance. Conditions of sentencing typically involve mandatory drug testing along with therapy. If first time offenders can successfully complete the treatment program in most cases their crime is removed from their criminal record. Since many first time offenders are juveniles or young adults, this allows them to receive federal aid through FAFSA. In turn it makes it easier for them to receive higher education services, which gives them a better chance at getting the skills they need for jobs. This in turn makes it more unlikely that they will revert to their old lifestyles of drug dealing now that they are treated for a drug addiction and have been given the tools they need to succeed. Drug courts are very strict though. If a participant in the program fails to attend a therapy meeting or has a positive return on a drug test, they are sent directly to jail. The program is only for those who want to change their lives. It is true that there are some people who do not want to change and they should be in jail if they do not want to reform to the laws of this country. Along with anti-depressants and revolutionary new research being done to address this nation’s addiction to drugs the twelve step process is the most used system for drug rehabilitation. The twelve step process forces the user to admit he or she is powerless over the drug and that a higher power can help them restore their sanity. This has its own constitutional conflictions with the separation of church and state. The twelve step process is only one option that can be taken towards drug rehabilitation though. It could be set up where defendants could choose a faith based rehabilitation program through the state or a non faith based rehabilitation program. There is no one strategy that works for every addict. Each case needs to be dealt with on a personal basis. They need to get to the bottom of why they want to use drugs. There is typically an underlying issue in a user’s life that causes them to search for an escape. The escape that ends many people in prison for lengthy sentences happens to come from crack and cocaine for too many people. Our rehabilitation centers need to work closely with the patients’ family whenever this is possible. Most drug users have families that are drug users as well. It is a perpetual cycle that continues to go on. It continues to go on because the underlying problems within the family are not addressed and they continue to turn to drugs in an attempt to escape the issues. Families are typically the best support system for a user trying to go clean. Without the help of the family or a family like atmosphere, users find it difficult to see a reason why they should quit. They need to see the impact that it makes on their loved ones to make it real to them. The ugliness needs to be shown in order for the user to see the full consequences of his or her actions. I am not proposing that we get rid of prison sentences for drug offenders by any means. We should only offer rehab to first time offenders who will be able to show whether they truly wish to change their lives for the better. If you have been through the program once and reverted back, then you have not proven to society that you are willing to be a productive law-biding citizen. Everyone deserves a second chance, but not necessarily a third or fourth. Rehabilitation of our country’s drug users not only has a higher success rate than that of our prisons, it is also more cost efficient. The amount of people within our jail and prison systems is estimated to be above six million people. Approximately half of these inmates used drugs regularly the month prior to their apprehension. It is fair to say then that nearly half of our prison population is candidates for drug rehabilitation programs rather than prison systems. The average cost for incarcerating an individual for a year is $20,000. The average cost of treatment at a rehabilitation center is around $9,000. It currently costs our government around one billion dollars annually to incarcerate its prison population. By taking the half of the prison population that are habitual users and putting them in treatment centers, the government could save a quarter of a billion dollars a year. Not only that but the repeat offender rate for those that have gone through the treatment centers is only a fourth of that for a prison sentence. Rehabilitation centers have a success rate of sixty to seventy five percent. When those figures are applied to the prison population that means that at the lowest success rate twenty five percent of our prison population would become productive members of society. While the repeat offender rate for rehabilitation centers is between forty and twenty five percent, prison are seventy five percent. With our current system over half a million of our non-violent offenders will be back in prison for the same crime, while with rehabilitation at worst it would be around three hundred thousand. The key to success with our rehabilitation centers is to provide long term assistance. It will be much better off for the nation as a whole to treat the triggers of addiction before it gets out of hand. Yes it is the addicts fault the he or she is addicted, but this does not mean that we should let society hurt on a principle of stubbornness. We should help our fellow man stay clean if he wants to be clean. With long term assistance programs for patients of rehabilitation programs, the success rate can reach as high as ninety five percent. I am not naive enough to think that this high of a number will work just as well for prisoners. Some prisoners simply do not want to break their addiction. If they do not want to change their lives, there is very little that rehab will do for a patient. Society has treated the drug problem within this country with extremely harsh punishments. We have been blind to see that we have been approaching the problem with the wrong strategy. Rehabilitation and education are the two strongest weapons in the war on drugs. If we change the lives of drug offenders, we will be able to exchange a large portion of our prison population into productive members of society. This would turn people who used to be a burden on taxpayers into taxpayers themselves. This would ultimately help the economy of America and the overall quality of life. The idea of drug reform in this country may be a daunting task, but it needs to be done. If we do nothing about the problem it will never go away, and as it has shown so far it will only get worse. The old ways of thinking are clearly not working. Something needs to be done about this problem. There is a reason why we have the highest incarceration rate of all industrialized nations. It is because half of our incarcerated citizens are non-violent drug offenders. If we can move towards treating an illness instead of punishing a crime, our country will be better off. Less people will be incarcerated citizens are non-violent drug offenders. If we can move towards treating an illness instead of punishing a crime, our country will be better off. Less people will be incarcerated and will be productive, moving our country towards a better tomorrow.