- Title of the video: Health care reform could reduce criminal recidivism.
- Location where video was taken: Allendale, Michigan, United States.
- Organization or website where video was posted: YouTube.
Summary
Health care reform could reduce criminal recidivism is a video where Dr. Erkmen G. Aslim shares his professional opinion on criminal recidivism’s correlation to access to healthcare. He believes that, in contrast to complex and expensive programs for recidivism prevention that are currently under development and execution would not be as easy and effective to implement as expanding the benefits of healthcare. He claims that such a way of solving the issue is the most cost-efficient if it is based on already existing programs for convicts.
One of his main points supporting the claim involves the fact of a high percentage of substance use among prisoners in the U.S. According to CGTN America (2021), more than 50% of convicts are diagnosed addicts, yet only 40% of women and 50% of men receive medical help and drug treatment programs during their prison sentence. However, after their release, even they no longer have access to the proper medication and often recidivate. The research conducted by Dr. Erkmen G. Aslim and colleagues proves that individuals at risk of returning to substance abuse are more likely to commit to drug treatment programs after their release from prison (CGTN America, 2021). Therefore, by providing such people with physical and mental health assist coverage, the likelihood of recidivism and crime reoccurrence can be significantly lowered. Additionally, Dr. Erkmen G. Aslim’s idea includes a solution for violent and public crimes. Most of these offenses tend to be committed repulsively, as well as associated with mental health and addiction problems (CGTN America, 2021). As such, by providing the necessary care and attention to the recently released convicts, such crimes can be prevented.
In the video, Dr. Erkmen G. Aslim also addresses a possible argument that can be raised against his proposal of healthcare for reducing criminal recidivism. Some may notice that there is a significant percentage of released convicts who do not fully utilize the potential of their drug and other medical issues treatment programs that are available to them. However, this is not due to their reluctance or indifference to the matter. Such scenarios exist because of the overall complexity of release from prison, where convicts have to primarily focus on finding housing and a job, rendering healthcare less important under such circumstances. As such, enrolling these individuals in treatment programs before they are released is essential, and simplified access to medical health would critically reduce their chances to recidivate.
Furthermore, without proper help, released convicts with addiction issues are at tremendous risk of endangering their lives and the people around them. This is due to the fact that returning to normal life after prison is unimaginably difficult. Since simply being a convict is already stigmatized by society, substance abuse problems further worsen the situation. In addition, according to CGTN America (2021), states that refuse or restrict convicted individuals’ access to certain programs, like public assistance services, were found to have a far higher rate of criminal recidivism. As a result, it is evident that convicts are people in dire need of medical health and treatment programs. By providing the necessary care to them, society would not only help these individuals but also promote the overall safety and stability of everyone.
References
CGTN America. (2021). Health care reform could reduce criminal recidivism [Video]. YouTube.