Capstone Thesis

Christopher Fagan
Capstone Thesis
Brightwood College Charlotte
Spring 2016

Capstone Thesis

Capstone Paper
Introduction:
Methamphetamines are an extremely addictive, extremely dangerous drug, which causes
severe damage to the body as well as the personal relationships with the users family, friends,
and community. Methamphetamines use is increasing across the United States, especially among
impoverished areas where Crack Cocaine is not prevalent. Methamphetamines abuse can destroy
families, destroy friendships, and damage communities, ultimately leading to incarceration of the
individual user. With the lack of systems in place to assist methamphetamines abusers, they end
up returning to prison frequently and do not receive assistance with overcoming their addiction.
Background:
The recidivism rate of members of the South Carolina community, who are using
methamphetamines and incarcerated for methamphetamine usage, is a serious issue because
individuals within the societal structure of this state, which are using this drug, are causing
serious harm to themselves and others. This harm includes distribution of the drug, associated
crimes which follow the drug, and these offenders are costing the tax payers millions of dollars
annually due to their repeat incarceration and court visits.
This issue is serious to me because I have friends who are repeat offenders and have been
incarcerated multiple times for manufacturing, using, and distributing methamphetamines and it
has cost me thousands of dollars in fuel costs as well as dry cleaning costs to appear at their trials
to observe their convictions.
According to South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the amount of
drug users arrested in South Carolina in 2013 was 34,308 (1), and of those approximately, 1.8%
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Capstone Thesis

of them are methamphetamine related offenses (2), which equates to approximately 618 persons.
Based on statistics released by the State of South Carolina, it costs approximately $18,299 per
year to house an inmate, which is about $50 per day (3). Based on this information, it costs
approximately $628 million annually to house the inmates, of which, approximately $11 million
is used for housing inmates related to methamphetamines.
Based on research, the costs associated with housing the inmates during the 2013 year,
based on the South Carolina budget which was approximately $6 billion; of that budget,
approximately 11% was consumed by inmates, and of the $6 billion, and approximately 0.002%
of the budget is consumed by individuals with methamphetamine related convictions (4).
Significance:
The significance of the research I am undertaking is to show how much of a problem the
usage of methamphetamines is, on both our society as a whole and on the prison system. The
problem of having such an epidemic of methamphetamine users in our country leads to societal
issues. The concerns range from safety and security at home, because meth users tend to commit
crimes to raise funds to purchase meth, and concerns regarding the fabric of society as a whole,
because these users cause unease and public discord. The other aspect of this issue is the burden
on the prison system, which impacts society again, because society, mostly through tax payers,
are the main source of funding for the prison system. The other burden on the prison system is
overcrowding, which occurs as drug users are arrested and processed into the system recurrently
for either methamphetamine related crimes or secondary crimes, which are a direct byproduct of
the physical addiction related to the drug itself. If this study was not completed, society would
not be able to gauge the size of the issue which is caused by methamphetamines, and therefore
would not be able to establish a reasonable solution to the problem.
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Capstone Thesis

Methodology:
I will use both primary and secondary data for the associated research. The primary data I
will use, in this case will be interviews and information derived directly from methamphetamine
users, both current and former; to establish a baseline to show the impact of the
methamphetamine usage on them, their families, and the local population. I will also use
secondary data, which will be obtained from previous research and from prison officials or other
law enforcement officials which have encountered methamphetamine users and seen their impact
on the local society. This secondary research will be concluded using preexisting publications
which address the problems associated with methamphetamines.
Literature Review:
Theory 1: Methamphetamine has a negative effect on Individuals, families and local
communities
1. Interview of Michael Meyers I believe this primary source of information from a
former methamphetamine user and manufacturer would support my theory that
methamphetamine use negatively impacts individuals and families. He will also
demonstrate how meth usage will result in prison time and the negative impact of postprison life.
2. Interview Dacusville Dan I believe this primary source of information, a
methamphetamine manufacturer and current methamphetamine user, will further
demonstrate how the usage of meth impacts the individual and his primary family.
3. Interview Officer Smiff I believe this primary source of information, an officer of a
city in South Carolina, will demonstrate how methamphetamine usage impacts local
communities and the families of meth users.

Capstone Thesis

4. http://www.drug-rehabs.org/research/meth-personal-and-social-consequences.htm - This
secondary source explains from a different perspective, how methamphetamine impacts
various levels, individual, family, and community.
5. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/faqs/ - This publication goes in depth as a
secondary source of information to demonstrate the socioeconomic impact of meth on
individuals, families, and the society as a whole. This goes more in detail as to how it
impacts individuals and families.

Theory 2: Methamphetamines have a negative effect on society via the prison system, Tax
money and overcrowding.
1. Interview Correction Officer Oliveda I believe this primary source of information, a
corrections officer with a prison in South Carolina, will demonstrate the impact of meth
usage on the community and how their incarceration is also a further burden on society.
He will also demonstrate how meth usage results in overcrowding in the prison system.
2. https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs11/18862/impact.htm- this source explains how
the usage of methamphetamine impacts the community as a whole specifically in terms
of society as a whole from a federal government perspective.
3. http://ecstasy.com.ua/methamphetamine/methamphetamine-legal-consequences - This
article demonstrates the prison time associated with meth and demonstrates how, as a
society, it directly impacts us from a financial aspect
4. http://www.dentalcare.com/en-US/dental-education/continuingeducation/ce332/ce332.aspx?ModuleName=coursecontent&PartID=2&SectionID=-1 -

Capstone Thesis

This secondary source of information explains the financial aspect of dental care for
inmates, which is a direct cost to the tax payers and society as a whole.
5. https://www.unodc.org/pdf/technical_series_1998-01-01_1.pdf - This secondary source
of information demonstrates using a cost benefit analysis how meth impacts the prison
system and tax payers alike. It also demonstrates how the increase of meth users directly
increases the prison population.
Hypothesis
In my study I intend to prove that methamphetamine usage causes negative effects on the
families, friends, and community as a whole. I also intend to show that these effects can also be
felt in the prison system and negatively impact the user not only in the short term, but in the long
term as well.
Terminology

Antihistamine - a drug or other compound that inhibits the physiological effects of

histamine, used especially in the treatment of allergies

Crystal Methamphetamine - is a colorless form of methamphetamine, a powerful highly
addictive synthetic psychostimulant. This odorless substance has a long-lasting euphoric

effect on the user. It is also known as Ice, tina or glass.

Methamphetamine - a synthetic drug with more rapid and lasting effects than
amphetamine, used illegally as a stimulant and as a prescription drug to treat narcolepsy

and maintain blood pressure.

Prison A building whose purpose is to detain individuals who have been convicted of
crime(s), the duration of which exceeds 1 year.

Capstone Thesis

Pseudoephedrine - a drug obtained from plants of the genus Ephedra (or prepared
synthetically) and used as a nasal decongestant. The active and primary ingredient used in
the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Scope/limitations
The limitations of this primary data, stems from the difficulty in finding individuals who
have experienced the negative effects of methamphetamine first hand and are willing to talk
about it. The issue with secondary data is finding other research on the negative impact of
methamphetamine, which is scarce, because people are quick to talk about the negative effects of
methamphetamine but few are willing to research and discuss the reasons that methamphetamine
abuse occurs and what we can do to resolve this issue. Data has been gathered showing that there
is a problem, while the root of the problem and the solutions for the problem are few and far
between.
Procedure
The following sources were chosen to prove that Methamphetamine has a negative effect on
Individuals, families and local communities.
I chose Michael Meyers because he has firsthand knowledge of methamphetamine,
having been an abuser and a manufacture of the drug for years and having served prison
sentences for the aforementioned crimes. Michael has stated that being addicted to
methamphetamines has ruined his life in several different ways; he has been divorced two times,
has lost custody of both of his children, and has been incarcerated for more than ten years of his
adult life. He was a prominent member of his community and because of his methamphetamines
usage he has lost the favor of the community and his family.
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Capstone Thesis

I chose Dacusville Dan because for years he has had various individuals on his
property using various drugs, primarily methamphetamine. He has never served time for his
crimes and continues to maintain a safe haven for drug users. Dan acknowledges that his
addiction to methamphetamines has caused significant damage to his life, and an overdose of the
drug has caused him to lose his wife and children.
I chose Officer Smiff because he is related to Michael Meyers and has arrested him
multiple times. He has seen how the abuse of methamphetamines has impacted not only
Michaels immediate family, but his extended family as well and knows how much of a burden
these drug abusers are on the system. Officer Smiff has been in the criminal justice field for
several years, and lives in a town where methamphetamines usage is excessive. He has had to
arrest countless family friends and relatives who have become addicted to the drug and have
thrown their lives away for a temporary sense of euphoria.
The secondary source, http://www.drug-rehabs.org/research/meth-personal-and-socialconsequences.htm, was chosen because it spells out exactly how the usage of methamphetamine
negatively impacts the family, friends, and community of the drug users in question. It
demonstrates that there is a direct correlation between drug usage and the destruction of families
and the community at large. It also states that there is a negative consequence to the drug user,
the family and the children of the user. These consequences vary, however, the dysfunction that
results from the drug usage is very clear and consistent.
The secondary source, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/faqs/, was chosen
because it shows not only how badly the use of methamphetamines impacts communities and
families, however, it also shows how the stages of incarceration impact them as well.

Capstone Thesis

Incarceration drives a wedge between the offender and their family, and leads to large problems
for their family.

The following sources were chosen to prove that Methamphetamines have a negative effect on
society via the prison system, Tax money and overcrowding.
I chose Corrections Officer Oliveda because he has worked in the South Carolina
correctional system for over a decade and has seen thousands of methamphetamines abusers
come into the prison system and return after their release. This corrections officer has seen
directly the impact of these drugs and how it destroys the individual and costs the state and
federal government money to house them. He explained how differently the methamphetamines
users act towards the prison guards than the other inmates and is saddened by the current amount
of methamphetamines users that cycle through the system continuously. He would like to see a
better system to reduce recidivism and assist the people to recover from their drug problem.
The secondary source, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs11/18862/impact.htm,
was chosen because it explains the financial issues with relation to the drug trade, specifically
methamphetamines. It explains the amount of methamphetamines labs seized, the cost of the
destruction of these labs, and the cost of incarceration for the offenders as well.
The secondary source,
http://ecstasy.com.ua/methamphetamine/methamphetamine-legal-consequences,
was chosen because it explains the legal consequences for the individuals who use
methamphetamines and the time they could face in the event they were convicted
of use, manufacture or distribution of methamphetamines. This source reinforced

Capstone Thesis
the claim that abuse of methamphetamines will lead to prison time and will
adversely affect an individuals life and the life of their family.
The secondary source, http://www.dentalcare.com/en-US/dentaleducation/continuing- education/ce332/ce332.aspx?
ModuleName=coursecontent&PartID=2&SectionID=-1, was chosen to show the
direct impact of methamphetamines usage on the dental hygiene on a prison
inmate. The criminal justice system as a whole is forced to take care of prisoners,
and as such, in the event there is a medical issue, the tax payers are forced to pay
for them to be fixed. This directly and adversely affects the American tax payer, by
forcing them to pay for the mistake a methamphetamines user made.
The secondary source, https://www.unodc.org/pdf/technical_series_1998-0101_1.pdf, demonstrates exactly how a methamphetamines user impacts the
community and the tax payer as a whole. It shows that tax payers are forced to feed
and house these inmates, thereby showing that they are not only damaging
themselves by using this drug, but they are also directly impacting the American
population as well by forcing the tax payers to take care of these individuals who
have made a fatal mistake and must now pay the consequences.

Long Range Consequences

This research paper will have no long term consequences on the criminal justice system
itself or any changes on society. This is because while methamphetamine has a negative impact
on society on many different levels, ultimately, there will not be steps to change the direction of
the problem. It is easier to turn a blind eye to the issues facing society as long as it generates
money into the government. The prison system and the criminal justice system are the two
biggest revolving door systems within the United States and while politicians would like to
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Capstone Thesis

bestow the impression of potential change and care to their constituents, no major changes will
occur. The systems will remain unchanged and will continue to pour money into the pockets of
the greedy and corrupt, while those of us who are truly suffering will continue to go unheard and
uncared for.

References:
1) http://www.sled.sc.gov/documents/CrimeReporting/SCCrimeBooks/2013/2013%20Crim
e%20in%20South%20Carolina.pdf Page 48
2) http://lwvcharleston.org/files/Revised_Drug_Study_Summary.pdf Page 5
3) http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/thebuzz/article13878005.html
4) http://governor.sc.gov/ExecutiveOffice/ExecutiveBudget/Documents/Executive
%20Budget%20FY%202012-2013.pdf page 379

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