Research Paper on:
Economics of Crime Problems and Solutions

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
the otherwise unacceptable substances have routinely been met with staunch opposition, as people continue to believe that doing so would do nothing but unleash an even worse monster upon society.  "Twenty billion American tax payer dollars were spent in the name of the drug problem back in 1993, as officials attempted to solve the ongoing problem by arresting, prosecuting  and ultimately incarcerating offenders. Prisons overflowed, as did the courtrooms, while such triviality was overshadowing the more important issues at hand" (Nadelmann, 1993, p. 41). However, it can  readily be argued that Americas drug problem is not rooted in the actual usage but more so in the manner that law enforcement deals with the problem. Indeed, a  moralizing story to demonstrate the backwards approach Americans take toward drug control is with prohibition, which has "created more evils than it was designed to prevent" (Nadelmann, 1993, p. 41).  The high cost of housing prisoners and pressure to reduce the number of inmates causes one to reconsider the true tax benefit of  legalizing drugs. Additionally, the upkeep cost for a prisoner over the age of 55 can be as high as $60,000 per year because of their greater medical needs (Himelstein,  1993). A survey by the Rand Corporation found that longer jail terms cannot effectively curb drug usage and drug-related crimes, as well as the fact that harsh prison terms  actually cost taxpayers more money in the long run. The United States has the worlds highest incarceration rate because of federal minimum sentencing requirements mandated by 1980s laws, the  result of which has been that state correctional prison budgets are exploding with the national inmate population currently standing at approximately 1 million prisoners (Grayson, 1997). Fifteen years and