Reduce incarceration. It's too expensive.

Here is a student's paper on incarceration.

The amount of people incarcerated in this country truly astounds me.  In America we currently have more than 2 million people in jails and prisons.  Countless inmates are serving time for minor drug offenses.  I believe that instead of pursuing the “War on Drugs”, which has led to many of these lockups without a doubt, our country should be putting more time, effort, and focus into alternative incarceration programs.  Diversion programs for first time, non-violent offenders have been proven to work well.   

These types of programs not only cost less than jail and prison, but they also help create a job base for social workers.  I believe that if we implemented more programs like these we could alleviate the growing problem of over populated jails and prisons in the U.S., and save taxpayers money as well.  Alternative incarceration programs allow an offender to receive treatment, employment, and even education and training under the supervision of law enforcement officers.  The offender can either be successful and become a reformed member of our society, or the offender can be unsuccessful, and a judge can simply send him back into the prison system.

Just to give an example of the amount of money that could be saved by creating programs like these, I looked up some statistics.  In New York it costs about $62,595 to house an inmate yearly.  The average cost to put that same inmate through an alternative program would be about $1,400 to $13,000 according to eHow.com.  That’s a minimum savings of $49,595!  In our current economic downturn taxpayers could really use a break like this.  It’s not a dollar amount to be laughed at by most Americans.  I don’t know a person who would say "no" if asked if they wanted to save $50,000. 

Some other benefits of alternative incarceration can be seen within communities.  Because offenders are trying to be a valued part of our society, foster care, shelter, welfare, and child support costs can be managed easier.  Alternative programs also have a significant effect on felon’s illegal drug usage.  It typically falls from 80% to 42% in those participating in the programs.  This is because the social and financial burdens of rehab are now placed back onto the family and community.  [see this 2.6 MB pdf file for more information]

To lend even more support to these programs is the fact that a study conducted by the New York Criminal Justice Agency found that offenders participating in programs like these were less likely to be arrested a second time than offenders who were put in a traditional jail or prison.  This suggests that programs like these are producing results of less crime and fewer repeat offenders.       

Overall, the benefits of alternative incarceration programs can clearly be seen.  Not only do they save money, but they also help reduce crime and repeat offenders as well.  If all states could follow New York’s example, America could regain control over our maxed out capacity jails and prisons, and at the same time fight crime and greatly reduce the enormous cost of housing inmates.  

G.I. Bill Improvement

(Here is one student's policy suggestion.)

After a person leaves active military duty they have many resources available, especially when it comes to college. The VA will pay tuition and books, and even offers a minimum of $1,300 a month stipend from the GI bill. But the GI bill is only available to veterans for 10 years after they end active duty. It's my belief that if a veteran is planning on going to school part time, they should be able to get the GI bill no matter how long they've been out of active duty. Many times other factors get in the way and keep a person from going to college right away. Even if a person is aged 60 and fought in a war decades and decades ago (or even if they did't fight in an actual war), they should have that GI bill available to them if they're willing to become enrolled in college full time.

Typically, I'm not supportive of people getting to go to school for free, just based on the fact that I can't go to school for free, so I'm negatively biased towards the whole thing. And while I don't support the war we're in now or some of the wars we've been in in the past, I do believe that if someone is willing to put their life on the line for our country's safety they should be allowed to go to college for free and get that stipend regardless of how long ago they were enlisted in active duty.

Student asks governor to legalize same sex marriage

One of our class assignments was to write a paper describing a policy to a government person, either an elected representative or executive, or else to an agency head or administrator. Many students wrote advocacy letters.  This is an example of a student writing to the new governor asking him to support same-sex marriage in Illinois.

I am a social work major at University of Illinois at Springfield.  I am writing to you today regarding an important matter that needs your attention.  I am urging you to implement a policy regarding same-sex marriage.  Currently, there are five states which have this policy already in place.  I would propose to you that this is not a matter of personal belief, but rather a matter of a basic civil right.

In Loving vs. Virginia in 1967, the Supreme Court ruled that interracial marriages must be allowed.  Today, we, as a society, would find it unbelievable that people, of different ethnic backgrounds, were unable to marry.  However, we still do not allow people of the same sex to marry.  Because gays are not allowed to marry, they are not subject to many of the amenities that heterosexual couples get to enjoy.  Among these are the right to inherit property, tax benefits, medical benefits, and retirement benefits.

If this policy is implemented, there will be many people who oppose it.  For example, many church organizations believe that being gay goes against God. They argue that it is in the Bible that man should not marry man, but man should marry woman.  I would like to remind you that similar arguments were made by the church when Americans sought to create equal rights for African Americans.  The Bible is frequently quoted when it comes to civil rights.  Another argument presented by the Church is that legalizing same-sex marriage will ruin the institution of marriage.  They propose that legalizing this type of marriage will eventually lead to legalizing marrying animals.  This is a weak claim, and clearly they are grasping for straws.

I firmly believe that the proponents outweigh the opposition.  If this policy is presented as a matter of civil rights, most Illinois residents will be in favor.  Not only are most Illinois residents compassionate, but also reasonable.  I do not believe that they would oppose this policy if presented in the correct manner.  Thank you for your time and consideration.

Student suggests regulations for SSDI recipients

Here is a student's suggestion for a policy related to SSDI.

The policy that I would like to be implemented would be to put regulations on SSDI recipients.  This is especially important, as many SSDI people are going without their medications.  In this policy, SSDI recipients would be assigned a social worker to help them manage their medications, money, etc. I feel that this is especially important because there are many people who receive SSDI that are homeless.  This policy would help to ensure the mental health of these people.  Many people who are currently receiving SSDI are doing so because of mental health reasons.  

Through this policy, I believe that homelessness will decrease.  It is essential for these people to be taken care of.  They have been diagnosed by a doctor in order to receive SSDI, but are not closely monitored to make sure that they are staying current with doctor visits and medications.