The young citizens of India constitute the most vital human resource. Indian youth has made a mark in all the walks of life education, sports, literature,  software. Internet technology, social causes etc. the young mind is fresh and energetic and hence, can contribute towards at the growth of a nation in the most effective manner.

However, drugs and alcohol have taken the toll of our youth in an adverse manner. Young boys and girls take smack, brown sugar, heroin and other contraband drugs, which are spoiling their lives. Drugs affect the minds permanently. A person, who takes drugs even once, cannot escape from them for life. Further, some young boys and girls take medicines that contain drugs or alcohol. Their parents and teachers are unaware that their children or wards have committed themselves to complete annihilation under  the disguise of medical treatment. Some popular drugs consumed by the students as drugs are Luminal, Mandrax, Cannabis, Heroin and other alcohol-based medicines.

Drugs affect mind and body equally. The young mind stops thinking positively. His body becomes lethargic and he tries to remain under the effect of the drug throughout day and night. His behavior becomes abnormal and his psyche becomes sick. He resorts to fighting, stealing and his behavior becomes highly volatile.

                Drugs are available in big metropolitan cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Delhi etc. The drug sellers use the youth as peddlers. Once a young person is caught in this intricate and dangerous racket, he can never get out of the same. If the behavior of the drug addicted boy or girl is carefully observed by a friend or family member, he or she would find that the victim is shaken, confused, fumbling in speech, lonely and gloomy. He loses his health and is not interested in sports or leisure. He remains confined to his bed and never participates in social activities.

                The family members and friends must extend all cooperation. The police force must also be sympathetic towards these drug victims and must not use coercive methods for extracting information about drug peddlers from the drug addicts. The social organisatiions could play vital roles in this context.Drug menace is assuming very dangerous proportions. It could spoil the future of nations. It must be eliminated so that the young minds would be saved from the scourge of drug addiction.

A person should not stop taking pain medication suddenly without consulting your doctor. If the person to seek medical attention for a week, so it must have exactly one week, no less. Take your pain, even if time can lead to addiction. You can not help it. Analgesics should not be crushed before eating. The drug is designed so that is slowly released. Otherwise, large amounts are released in an instant and you can have a toxic effect.

A person shall not use a painkiller that was prescribed to another person. The effects of prescription drugs differs from person to person, depending on the level of tolerance or previous use.

If you find that your loved one is completely under the control of drugs for pain, should seek medical advice immediately and it is better to have it admitted to a rehabilitation center for drug addicts. You can arrange for the best treatment centers only in well-known prescription treatment for addiction to the luxury of detoxification. This pain relieving Rehabilitation offers excellent facilities for patients. The life of luxury here is the need to continue treatment of a person. During treatment, withdrawal symptoms, strong. Withdrawal is literally unbearable for patients who need care and support to overcome the enormous psychological pain. Support for mental health care and comes in large parts of the medical staff of this painkiller rehab center. Treatment Programs are held here is famous. The rehabilitation of prescription drugs have proven very effective in curing drug addicts painkillers for a long time.

Only one analgesic luxury rehabilitation center can cure a total fanatic. No other rehabilitation centers can cure a drug addict, but it is temporary. There is no chance for one hundred percent that the person will return to the addiction again.

When scrutinizing the different perspectives on this issue, it comes down to two opposing perspectives. Opinion A:  No the YCJA isn’t fair and equitable when addressing youth crime or Opinion B:  Yes the YCJA is very fair and equitable when addressing youth crime are the two opinions.  Both opinion A and B have evidence to support their conclusions. A cartoon by Malcolm Mayes (www.artizans.com) is just one of the many examples. The cartoon shows a violent youth criminal who has been convicted (given away by handcuffs) with text on his wrists, “SLAP HERE”. This text is playing on the old saying “A slap on the wrist”, meaning the convicted got away with minimal and practically no consequence. Another piece of proof is a newspaper clipping from the Edmonton Journal in 2008. The article targets the gun violence increase among youths aged 12 to 17 and places the responsibility on youth law. According to Statistics Canada the gun rate use amongst youth has increased by 32% since 2002. The articles goes on to compare the percent of violent crimes involving a gun amongst teens to those of adults, the number being significantly lower in the latter ( a 1% difference).  Although all of these reasoning’s are valid, is it enough to say that that the YCJA isn’t truly fair and equitable when addressing youth crime? Opinion B argues that it is not, and that the YCJA is in fact very fair and equitable.  Opinion B also has evidence to support (hold) the foundation of their argument. This is supported (proven) through how the YCJA dealt with an Albertan youth who was convicted of three counts of first degree murder. The verdict was that she would serve intensive rehabilitative custody and supervision order. This sentence in the YCJA is intended for youths who have committed violent crimes and suffer from a physiological or emotional disturbance or a mental illness. Her time in custody was divided between jail time and a psychiatric hospital to assure she got the help required. A child and youth advocated, Bernard Richard addresses this issue. He reports the fact that teens suffering from mental illnesses are especially venerable while incarcerated and in most cases do not receive the assistance they require while jailed. This only leads to their condition growing worse and worse, the YCJA works to address these concerns to assure that this does not happen. Another method to justify that the YCJA is indeed fair and equitable when addressing youth crime is through statistics.  According to statisctics Canada the number of youth who were sentenced in custody on average (any given day) went down in 2004/2005 by 16% from 2003/2004 and down 50% since the YCJA was implemented. This is very significant (drastic) difference, for the benefit of society. In addition, the proportion of detained (incarcerated, apprehended?) youth who are formally charged by police dropped by 13% after the YCJA went into effect. Violent crime by youth also dropped 2% and property crime by youth dropped 12%. All of these statistics define clearly that the YJCA is having a very positive effect on youth crime. As shown above, both of these opinions have provided evidence as a fundamental base to why their argument must stand.

In my point of view, the YCJA is certainly very fair and equitable when addressing youth crime. The consequences that a youth offender must face are predominantly decided by the police, prosecutors, judges, professionals from the community and the Youth Justice Committee. The Youth Justice Committee is a group of volunteers from the community that work with the offender, their family and the victim to determine a just consequence for the offence. When determining the consequences for the youth offenders there are many things that are taken into consideration to ensure that they are fair and equitable. They consider the seriousness of the offence, the history of the young person, the attitude of the offender and most importantly, in my opinion, the underlying circumstances. For instance, there may be a situation at home and this could be a factor that encouraged their offence. The YCJA will then act to address and solve this problem through programs designed specifically for the individual so that they aren’t then tempted to turn back to crime. By doing all of this, the YCJA is taking into account individual need and circumstances, applying to every single youth offender who enters the Justice System, being fair and equitable. Not only does the YCJA work to address the underlying circumstances but works to rehabilitate and reintegrate the offender into society. By doing this the goal of the YCJA is to provide the young offender with the ability and knowledge to make positive choices in the future and to help them develop a sense of belonging within their community through positive manners such as sport teams. In addition, the YCJA works to ensure that the offender is subjected to meaningful consequences specific to their offence to assure that they are aware that there are indeed consequences.  However, the YCJA doesn’t just throw its offenders into jail to “teach them a lesson” but rather offers them significant consequences like community service, counselling and restitution to ensure that they understand the results of their actions.  The YJCA also recognized the reduced maturity levels of young offenders and prohibits adult sentences for youths 12 to 14, protects privacy of youth offenders and allows for most young offenders to avoid a criminal record. The reasoning behind this is quite simple, youth are much more vulnerable to other influences such as peer pressure, and therefore they cannot be held as accountable for their actions as an adult would be. Youth offenders are much more likely to learn from their mistake and Pamela Stephens, a spokesperson for the Justice Minister supports this point by saying “We recognize that it is much easier to rehabilitate a young person than an adult.”  When it comes to the fairness and equitableness I agree with Opinion B, the YCJA is very fair and equitable. However, to what extent is the YJCA fair and equitable? The only thing, I personally believe, that the YCJA could work on is its law to protect the privacy of youth offenders. I feel that the severity of the crime should be taken into consideration prior to determining whether or not their identity should be published. This is a valid argument that could be presented to oppose Opinion B however, this is a minor flaw in the YCJA and certainly is relatively simple  to fix

I feel that Opinion B’s argument must stand for the benefit of the whole Justice System and society.  Opinion A is invalid for all of the previous reasons stated. Although they may argue that youth offenders get off too easily, would harsher consequences necessarily lead to reduced crime rate amongst young offenders? Being incarcerated and spending time with “hardcore criminals” would only influence youth offenders, who are already vulnerable, to lead a life of crime obviously not addressing the issue and preventing crime. Opinion A may also disagree and argue that the identity of youth offenders, no matter their sentence, should be published. This however is not the case currently and it should remain that way. Youth offenders do not fully acknowledge and understand their offence and therefore the YCJA works to help educate and nurture them so they do not continue committing offences. By protecting their identity it allows them to be reintegrated into society and be accepted rather than shunned by society and turn back to crime.

Overall, it is clear and evident that the YCJA is indeed fair and equitable and that Opinion B is correct. The YCJA governs by rules that apply to everyone and takes into account individual needs and circumstances when determine just and meaningful consequences for the actions of youth offenders. I very passionately believe that the YCJA does a tremendous job and truly considers not only the offender but also the victim and the society to ensure justice is served.

After gazing into the eyes of Casey Anthony, Obama concluded these were the troubled and tormented eyes of a sexual abuse victim. After consulting with his staff, he decided a presidential pardon should be considered and Casey Anthony’s rehabilitation should spare no expense.

After all, any victim of sexual abuse will ultimately be driven to chloroforming, duct taping, and then disposing of their baby’s body at local dump. After that, it is only natural that this victim will blame her father for her child’s murder and her drug dependency.

Between rehab sessions, Casey can play Darkspore Crack or Terraria from her taxpayer funded high speed internet connection. Before you know it, she will become a pillar of the community and a spokeswoman for victims of sexual abuse.

Note:

Ulsterman who usually writes this column is on leave. Seiva7, without Ulsterman’s permission and using his exclusive White House Insider: Header, wrote an article in an attempt to discredit Ulsterman’s fine work.

“Whitney voluntarily enter the program [rehabilitation] in order to support the healing process along,” he said.

A source on the page TMZ says, Whitney cleanse himself from addiction to alcohol and drugs for the preparation of his latest film. As you know, Whitney is rumored to be returning to the big screen in a sequel to the film ‘Waiting To Exhale’.

The page also reveals, a singer who has recently seen a concert by Prince was allowed to appear in public as long as someone is watching. In 2009, Whitney claims to have become users of cocaine in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. He also said, his addiction became uncontrollable after starring in the movie ‘The Bodyguard’ in 1992.

“Me and Bobby [former husband] to roll marijuana use pads. We can buy a kilo. We do not use tobacco pipe,”said the singer was born August 9, 1963.

Should mandatory sterilization be considered for sex offenders? Since there are only 4 purposes in which a punishment is carried out, we can do away with protracted and otiose discussion by going straight into considering them.

1)      1) Rehabilitation

Incarceration works the same way as to how detention applies to an insolent kid. They will be forcefully given the time to self-reflect on their actions or omissions. With that in mind, it makes no sense for a judge to adjure a punishment that is irreversible. Bear in mind that sex offenders include sexual offenses which varies from trivial crimes which are exonerative to serious cases such as child rape. In law, morality, and also economically, it would be best to give offenders of the former category the chance to expiate their guilt.

2)     2) Retribution

The idea of retribution is now anachronistic. While in the eyes of the society, certain type of offenders deserve to be punished, we rarely see written judgment passed with ratio or obiter which states retribution as one of the reasons. More and more countries are even abrogating death sentences. The law has a normative role to play in the society. It would be counter-productive for the law to allow such primitive reasoning to be a canker to society.

3)     3) Deterrence

This is probably the most common reason used by the prosecution to allow heavy sentences to be passed to a convict. Deterring a criminal from committing an odious crime will, more often than not, outweigh the importance of his individual interest. However, it is already status quo that most countries have heavy and punitive sentences for rapists. Would it be necessary for a rapist to be convicted for 20 years imprisonment, and permanently deprive him of his right to even, say, start a family once he has duly served his sentence? Some countries even implement whipping in addition to imprisonment. The psychological fear instilled in a convict through pain is far more effective than sterilization.

4)      4) Incapacitation

While many countries have already abrogated death sentences, many others still practice them. The reason is simple. There are certain crimes which are too heinous that the only permanent way to prevent it is to take away his life. However, it is a flawed analogy to equate sterilization to death sentence, thinking that they can prevent certain types of crime to ever happen again. It is no guarantee that sterilization can stop a recidivist from committing the same sexual offences. It could be a psychological phenomenon which cannot be dealt with physical deprivation. In other words, sterilization will bring permanent harm to those who want to expiate their crimes, but will be of no help to stop recidivists from committing those sexual offences.

The Juvenile Justice System Should Focus on Rehabilitation

Throughout the years juvenile arrests have been on the rise and juvenile delinquency is a growing issue within our country. An effective solution to this problem has been an ongoing debate amongst scholars because many believe that punishment is the answer, but in the following texts the opposing theory that rehabilitation is the answer will be reviewed.

Rehabilitation can be effective when it is used in the proper manner, in some adult cases it has not been very effective, but when pertaining to juvenile offenders it has the potential to be very effective and beneficial to future crime rates and delinquency statistics.

I propose that the Juvenile Justice System should adopt the focus of rehabilitation because it will aid in treating and healing juvenile offenders who commit crime so that as a result, they have better chances to become stable successful adults.  If the Juvenile Justice System can properly rehabilitating juveniles it will in return create a decrease in adult crime rates that are statistically conducted in the future. If the right steps and proper measures are taken, juvenile delinquents can gain help as adolescents through rehabilitation instead of continuing a life of crime into adulthood.

Rehabilitation for juvenile offenders instead of punishment affects the Criminal Justice System and law enforcement in a variety of ways, but there are few negative effects from this solution to delinquency. Rehabilitation effects law enforcement by aiding in deterring future adult crime rates, it creates more time and availability for the criminal justice system and police to focus on crimes other than that of juvenile related matters. If the Juvenile Justice System can focus on rehabilitating juvenile offenders it in return highly benefits law enforcement because it makes it to where they than focus on non-juvenile related matters.

Rehabilitation for juveniles instead of punishment affects probation in a number of ways. By the Juvenile Justice System focusing on Rehabilitation opposed to punishment it in return adds extra responsibility to the probation department because there will be more juvenile offenders to oversee and supervise. The probation department can keep their system strategies the same as they are today, with multi-level supervision for offenders and overseeing treatment attendance.

The probation department may have to add additional focus on the integration of rehabilitation and treatment for juveniles because at the moment their main focus is on supervision and limited treatment. By opening the door to more focus on rehabilitation the probation department will need to be more attentive to the offender’s efforts and success in rehabilitation instead of just supervising the offender throughout their probation sentence. This may cause a need for extra probation officers or a new department within the probation office that primarily focuses on the supervision of offenders completing rehabilitation.

Through rehabilitation for juveniles opposed to punishment it highly benefits the correctional department because it aids in reducing the amount of juveniles being incarcerated. This creates more space within correctional facilities for adult offenders receiving incarceration as a sentence and it assists in reducing the overpopulation issue that is currently affecting corrections today. There is such a vast and large amount of adult offenders that need to be incarcerated for their crimes that it has created a huge amount of overpopulation within correctional facilities in the United States, which in return highly influences the amount of early release that occur. So as a result of overpopulation, there are many criminal offenders being released early due to no available space within our nation’s correctional facilities, so by rehabilitating juvenile offenders it creates additional space for adult offenders.

The Juvenile Justice System can primarily focus on rehabilitation and assist in many branches and departments of the Criminal Justice System, including the Community Services division. Rehabilitation affects Community Services by creating more use of community services for juvenile offenders because rehabilitation, treatment, and community services go hand in hand with one another. By the Juvenile Justice System focusing on rehabilitation it highly promotes community services because the juvenile offenders receiving rehabilitation opposed to punishment will be receiving their rehabilitation and treatment through the probation and community services departments. (Get Legal Public. 2011. Juvenile Programs).

An example of how community services already focuses on rehabilitating juvenile offenders is through project CRAFT, which is the Community Restitution and Apprenticeship Focused Training. This program is a youth pilot project that focuses on creating employment for economically disadvantaged out-of-school youth, including youth in correctional facilities or offender programs. Kiss, Mary Ellen. February 1999. Project CRAFT). All in all, community services will be very involved in the Juvenile Justice System focusing on rehabilitation because they already conduct and oversee the rehabilitation efforts being made today.

Through rehabilitation there will be many benefits to juvenile intervention programs because they aid in properly rehabilitating offenders.  Effective intervention plays an essential role in any strategy designed to diminish the rates of juvenile delinquency, especially when pertaining to rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. Individuals who are employed in the juvenile justice system use intervention as an important component of dispositional sanctions imposed in juvenile cases. In current times, the intervention efforts that are made for juvenile offenders are very limited and there is a lengthy decision process for all eligible offenders. If the Juvenile Justice System primarily focuses on rehabilitation, then as a result, the intervention programs can accept more offenders including juveniles and in return the intervention programs will not have such limited support as they do today. Lipsey, M.W., Wilson, D.B., Cothern, L. April 2000. Effective Intervention for Serious Juvenile Offenders).

There are many opposing views when pertaining to the Juvenile Justice System focusing on rehabilitation instead of punishment. Many individuals believe that it is a more effective strategy to punish all juvenile offenders the same as adult offenders instead of “wasting” government and tax payer funding on treatment and rehabilitation. There is also the belief that rehabilitation is not as successful at deterring the offenders from returning to crime, as that of punishment because the offender does not receive the same harsh consequences as adults who are sentenced to incarceration. The main factor that influences this view not being as valid as rehabilitation is because there hasn’t been enough research and information retrieved about the true effectiveness of rehabilitation, which in return creates the idea that it is not as effective. (Austin, J., Johnson, K.D., Weitzer, R. September 2005. Alternatives to the Secure Detention and Confinement of Juvenile Offenders)

If rehabilitation gained the opportunity to receive enough funding to conduct an adequate amount of research to show the proof of its effectiveness, it would be highly reconsidered as the most effective sentencing for juvenile offenders.  The opposing view that punishment is more effective than rehabilitation is only valid because rehabilitation has been a low funded program that has been held back and not given the opportunity to step up and shine. If the Juvenile Justice System were to shift their primary focus to rehabilitation it could have infinite benefits on crime rates and trends in the future, plus it aids in deterring overcrowding in correctional facilities and creating a last impression on the youth of our society; a life of crime is not the way to go.

If the Juvenile Justice System were to adopt the focus of rehabilitation there would be many advantages that would in return outweigh the disadvantages which are few and far between.  The advantages of rehabilitation for juvenile offenders begin with the fact that when pertaining to juveniles and adolescents, it is a much more sensitive situation than that of adults because it must be taken into consideration that youth offenders are still developing and growing up so it is a much more sensitive situation than that of dealing with adult offenders. (Oregon Youth Authority. September, 25, 2007. Oregon’s Juvenile Justice System).

Juveniles are still developing social skills and who they will become as an adult, so it is very important to treat juveniles with care to ensure that whatever punishment they receive for their delinquent behavior does not negatively affect them in the future when they are adults. For example, many believe that juvenile offenders should be placed in correctional facilities to scare them into not committing crime; but in many cases the juvenile offender will gain more knowledge about crime and not receive any rehabilitation or treatment, which in return the subject often returns to crime upon release.

The only disadvantages of the Juvenile Justice System adopting rehabilitation is the needed funding and support. In order to be able to fully place rehabilitation in course the Juvenile Justice System will have to gain extra funding to support additional community service support as well as probation department support. The reason being is because these are the two departments that would oversee and enable rehabilitation to be a successful alternative to punishment for juveniles.

The advantages of rehabilitation for juveniles vastly outweighs the disadvantages because it creates an opportunity for the Juvenile Justice System to educate, treat, and rehabilitate youth offenders instead of sentencing them punishment alone. Through rehabilitation juveniles can gain an education, learn career skills, receive mental/substance treatment, and a substantial start for their young adulthood. When in comparison to a juvenile being sentenced to incarceration or house arrest alone and not getting any education or treatment, the evidence of why the Juvenile Justice System should focus on rehabilitation is very apparent.

In summary, I believe that the most effective solution to juvenile delinquency is rehabilitation and if the Juvenile Justice System will adopt this focus in the sentencing for juvenile offenders it could forever change the future of criminal activity. Through education and rehabilitation the troubled youth of our nation today can obtain the opportunity to become successful adults of the future and create a substantial opposition against juvenile delinquency. If the Juvenile Justice System continues to keep rehabilitation and treatment as a secondary or non-primary solution, then as a result, the juvenile delinquency rates could continue to grow and the crime rates of the future could be highly contributed by the youth of today continuing their activity in criminal behavior.

References

Lipsey, M.W., Wilson, D.B., Cothern, L. (April 2000). Effective Intervention for Serious Juvenile Offenders. Retrieved on February, 27, 2011. Retrieved from Website. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/181201.pdf

Austin, J., Johnson, K.D., Weitzer, R. (September 2005). Alternatives to the Secure Detention and Confinement of Juvenile Offenders. Retrieved on February, 27, 2011. Retrieved from Website. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/208804.pdf

Get Legal Public. (2011). Juvenile Programs. Retrieved on February, 27, 2011. Retrieved from Website. http://public.getlegal.com/legal-info-center/juvenile-justice/juvenile-programs

Kiss, Mary Ellen. (February 1999). Project CRAFT. Retrieved on February, 27, 2011. Retrieved from Website. http://www.aypf.org/publications/compendium/C2S36.pdf

Oregon Youth Authority. (September, 25, 2007). Oregon’s Juvenile Justice System. Retrieved on February, 27, 2011. Retrieved from Website. http://www.aypf.org/publications/compendium/C2S36.pdf

February 22, 2011

How long should a Felon have to pay his/her debt to society? We fear criminals, we avoid criminals and we encourage their rehabilitation.  But, how can someone with a conviction ever be rehabilitated if we as society do not embrace them at some level?  Every day in my office, I get to see the other side. 

Let’s think about this.  Most people who are sent to prison have had rough up-bringings to begin with.  They have been abused or neglected or have a significant mental illness.  And yet, these folks are sent to prison where they are locked in cages, shackled when they use the toilet, and placed around others who further victimize them.  Some rehab.

Upon finishing their sentence, they attempt to return to their community where they are promptly shunned.  They cannot find a job because they have a felony on their record.  The local Housing Authority, set up to provide living arrangements for those most in need, turn them down for housing because of their felony.  They end up living under a bridge. 

They try to reach out and form relationships, but who wants to date a felon?  “God-fearing” people clutch tight to their purses when they enter their pew.  

What do they do?  They sit in my office, and they cry.  Of course we need to be cautious and while forgiving, still remembering that people who have made such major mistakes have this past.  But as for me, I choose to reach out.

Chisholm also calls for judges to craft sentences that would allow prisoners to get out sooner.  Wasn’t that what parole used to do?  Wouldn’t it be simpler to acknowledge that Truth In Sentencing (TIS) is a failure?  I wrote about the issues of too much time on paper and the problem of TIS in my book Essays of a Penitentiary Philosopher, published in January, 2008.  Much of my rationalization for reform was based on the cost element and on how difficult the problem would be to manage once the economy collapsed.

Chisholm chooses to dance around the issue, rather than strike directly at its heart, so that a resolution of substance could be found.  Wisconsin’s legal system is economically unsustainable.  TIS plays a large role in that.  The public, including Chisholm, doesn’t understand the consequences of a system that tells inmates that the state doesn’t believe in rehabilitation.  Since 2000, when TIS began, most of the serious offenders haven’t been released yet.  This will soon change, and those who couldn’t successfully complete extended supervision will also eventually complete their entire sentence.

To maintain the current system, your children’s schools will receive less funding.  If they make it to college, they will pay more for tuition.  Every element of public service you see declining in the coming years, will be to maintain a legal system that guarantees failure.  Chisholm would prefer to shift money around and use semantics, than address the moral failing of a system that keeps people in prison longer than they need to be, at the expense of the rest of society.  Recall that our economy did well for many years with a focus on short term gains.  How’s that working out?  The same people who brought you those policies are also responsible for what everyone will soon consider obvious about our legal system, failure.

Unlike Chisholm, I didn’t wait for the economy to collapse to call for reforms.  Even if there isn’t the political will to change TIS, in May 2010 I wrote a blog called Budget Deficit Solutions to show other options.  Real change however, can only happen if people are fully aware of the current system’s shortcomings and how we got there.

Read my book Essays of a Penitentiary Philosopher as well as the blogs I wrote afterwards, following up on the same theme at www.politicsandjustice.com. 

During the short time I needed to type the figure below, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars cost more than what an average American family earns in a year.

Photo source: 

To the US taxpayer, the cumulative cost since 2001, has been  $1,152,218,693448 (as on Valentine’s day 14th February 2011).  That’s not millions or billions but trillions. Yes, it’s more than 1 trillion US dollars.

This amount can

• Buy all the US homes foreclosed during the housing crisis in 2007 and 2008.
• Give a 11 weeks fully paid vacation for every single US employee
• Buy the goods and services produced in a whole year in Australia

·    Take a look for yourself here.

The clock runs faster than you can make sense of the figures as you stare at it in disbelief.

Serious estimates claim that Afghanistan is soon going to overtake Iraq in war costs. 

Deaths and Casualties of the Wars

Photo source: 

These costs are more mind boggling, in terms of suffering, pain, as well as repair and rehabilitation costs.

The number of military personnel and civilians killed and injured is horrendous. Iraq Body Count estimates 108 000 Iraqi civilians killed. US military casualties in Iraq are 4436, and in Afghanistan 1476 according to http://icasualties.org/

In WWI, 95% of the death was soldiers. In WWII, 33% of the dead were soldiers and 67% civilians, which is a ratio of almost 1:2. In Iraq, the ratio seems to be 1:24.

Civilians in the war zones pay the highest price for generations to come.

In Afghanistan, 6-8 civilians are killed every day. 

Image by Beverly & Pack via Flickr

Will this ever end?