“ICE DESTROYED MY LIFE”
Alesha Keeping CCJ101 Criminology Skills Assessment 4 Tutor: Nathalie Sarlin
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Overview • • • • • • • • •
Article Claim Grounds Graph/Backing Warrant Rebuttals Toulmin’s Framework Conclusion References
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Article Ice Destroyed my life. By Luke Waters, SBS, 25 Mar 2015 This article is about a recovering ice addict and drug dealer who wants to help others from making the same mistakes. Once a private school student Melinda Hansen travelled over seas after finishing school and began using cocaine, when she returned she found ice more affordable and accessible from then began a long road of drug use, dealing and manufacturing the drug ice. At the time of her arrest for manufacturing the drug ice, she was sent to prison and was dubbed by the media the “Chapel Street Dealer” The Australian Crime Commission says 1.3 million Australians have sampled the drug ice Justice Minister Michael Keenan states “the drug ice touches all stratas of Australian society” 3
Analysis
“Why recovering ice addict Melinda Hansen wants to help others turn their lives around.” • Claim: • The Australian government concedes an “all agency "approach. • The problem has been labelled as the “Ice Epidemic”. • Justice Minister Michael Keenan noted that the drug ice touches “all strata's” of Australian society. 4
Analysis Ice is more accessible Grounds: • More then 1.3 million Australians have sampled the drug Ice. • Statistics from the Australian Crime Commission.
• Seizures of the drug and pre-cursor chemicals at record high. • Report from the Australian Crime Commission.
• Nearly 50 countries are importing drugs and/or manufacturing or trafficking within Australia. • Report from Crime Commission Chief Executive Chris Dawson.
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Australian Bureau of Statistics, 4513.0- Criminal Courts Australia, 2013-14 18000
• As seen in this graph over the 4 year period their has been a steady increase in import, exports and deal, trafficking illicit drugs. • Further more in manufacturing, cultivate there is a spike in 201314. • This graph shows not only ice but all illicit drugs.
Illicit Drug Offences
16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 2010-11 Import, Export
2011-12 Deal, Traffic
2012-13
2013-14
Manufacture, Cultivate
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Analysis • Warrant: • Melinda Hansen a prime example: • After finishing a privet school education, she travelled to London and sampled cocaine, then when she returned to Australia Melinda Hansen began taking the drug ice and became hooked. • She started with socially smoking on an ice pipe then sadly over a period of time began intravenous drug use, manufacturing, was raided by police then media attention and being labelled “chapel street dealer” and a jail term.
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Analysis Rebuttals: Against all-agency approach. • Criminologist and associated John Fitzgerald states: • That he cautions against approaching the ice problem solely from a law and order perspective. Further more he comments, “We are seeing a whole lot more drug crime, but its probably related to the fact that police are putting a whole lot more energy into discovering the problem in the first place”. • Drug counsellor Carlo La Marchesina agrees: • He fears the situation will worsen unless government funding is significantly increased. • Melinda Hansen comments: • At the time of her arrest the media dubbed her the “Chapel Street dealer”, making her introduction to prison-life even more challenging. • She now plans to use her first hand experience to help will others. 8
Toulmin’s Framework Warrant Melinda Hansen prime example
Claim Why Melinda wants to help? Grounds Ice is more accessible
Backing Stats ABS
Conclusion Good argument Well balanced although more evidence needed
Rebuttals Associated Professor Drug Counsellor Recovering Addict
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Conclusion • The claim for this paper, is interesting and has a good argument. • The grounds show that the government are going hard at this problem at the moment. • The rebuttals are from professionals and Melinda Hansen. They do give a strong opinion and their argument is logical, that more then just a law and order perspective is needed. • Overall the story was balanced and gives a good view from both sides. • Although more evidence needs to be shown on both the government approach and the rebuttals, to whether either one or both are a better approach to solving the ice epidemic, also both need to be more defined into who and how to help ice addicts when arrested and which path will be taken to help the person best. 10
References • Luke Waters, SBS, (25 March 2015). “Ice destroyed my life”: recovering ice addict and former drug dealer speaks out. sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/03/25/ice-destroyed-my-liferecovering-ice-addict-and-former-dealer-speaks-out • Australian Bureau of Statistics,( 2013-2014), 4513.0-Criminal Courts, Australia. abs.gov.au/ausstats/
[email protected]/mf/4513.0
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