Dan Carman

Criminal Records: They Affect the Entire Family

Dan Carman · October 3, 2017 ·

Today, approximately one-third of adults in the United States have a criminal record of some kind; that's in line with the number of adults who have college diplomas. However, with arrest and conviction numbers having been on the rise for decades, it only makes sense that more adults than ever are facing the implications and repercussions of criminal history. This applies not just to adults who have been convicted and incarcerated for serious felonies, but also to misdemeanor convictions and …

Effective Alternatives to Jail

Dan Carman · September 27, 2017 ·

It is no secret that prisons in the United States are filled to overflowing. With 2,145,100 prisoners, as reported by Institute for Criminal Policy Research, the U.S. leads the world in the number of incarcerated citizens, many for non-violent offenses. This statistic is remarkable. China, the country with the second highest number of prisoners, 1,649, 804, has 1.371 billion citizens overall, whereas the United States’ population is only 321.4 million. And, according to Smartasset, an online …

Treatment is more Effective than Jail Time

Dan Carman · September 10, 2017 ·

The War on Drugs, begun by Richard Nixon and continued and added onto by subsequent presidents, has not been as successful as its supporters hoped when they conceived it. Since its inception in 1971, estimates from different sources, including CNN and the Drug Policy Alliance, state that the U.S. has spent more than $1 trillion. And while the positive results of the war are negligible, what it has done, through mandatory minimum sentencing, harsher laws and other measures, is to help fill up the …

Treatment not Punishment

Dan Carman · September 2, 2017 ·

When a judge sentences a defendant, generally the sentence focuses on the action; and the penalty, within guidelines or mandates, is based on the crime. What is normally not fully addressed are the underlying causes that led to the defendant’s behavior, and in many cases, unless the underlying issues are addressed, a prison sentence is no more than a holding period before the criminal performs the same or a different crime once more. Mental Illness The underlying issue, in many cases, is …

Fun in the Sun? Crimes Increase Alongside Temps

Dan Carman · August 17, 2017 ·

Summertime in Kentucky is supposed to be a time to relax, take a boat on the lake, watch the kids play baseball. For many people, it is. With school out and the temperatures rising, it’s a more laid-back time than when school is in, or when the holidays are approaching and we tend to stay inside and brace against the cold. But, statistically, summer is also a time when we see increased criminal activity, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ); specifically, burglaries and robberies spike …