Question by Maricopa County: Do you feel sorry for this illegal or was justice served?
He was one of 107 Mexican men who had started out that morning in shackles at the York County Prison and had been placed by immigration officials on a chartered plane at Harrisburg International Airport for a flight to the border. The journey was part of a now daily exodus that has made the south-central region of Pennsylvania a critical hub in the federal government’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.

Now 37, Mr. Cruz had not been in his native country since crossing illegally more than two decades before. He was leaving behind his parents, siblings, a young daughter he hardly knew and a seven-year prison stint in Virginia that followed a 2002 night of binge drinking and a hit-and-run crash. He had no clothes except his brown prison jumpsuit and a pair of blue slippers.Mr. Cruz, who became a devout Christian during his time in prison, plans to continue his religious studies and spread the word of God as a Mennonite missionary in his homeland.When Mr. Cruz crossed the border as a teenager in the 1980s, it was “kind of easy,” he said last month while awaiting deportation. The United States had far fewer border patrol agents than it has today.

His parents were already living in Los Angles, and Mr. Cruz wanted to join them. Most of his four brothers and three sisters would make similar journeys.

After a decade living on the west coast, the family decided to move to Harrisonburg, Va., to get away from the growing dangers of gangs and crime in Los Angeles. In Virginia, Mr. Cruz found work in a poultry factory, where he put turkeys on hooks before they were slaughtered.

By then, Mr. Cruz’s older brother had developed a drinking problem. Mr. Cruz, a regular churchgoer, initially resisted such temptations. But he soon started drinking with his brother.

“It was just little by little,” he said. “Then I was an alcoholic.”

The pair also smoked marijuana, despite admonitions from their parents. Mr. Cruz attended rehabilitation programs, but he didn’t have any success until he left his family to live on his own in Phoenix.

There he met Rosario Mendoza, a devoted Christian who helped him recover from his addictions. She also persuaded him to reconcile with his parents and return to Virginia. Mr. Cruz brought Ms. Mendoza with him, and the couple had a daughter named Paula.

Mr. Cruz also reconnected with his old group of friends, and he again started drinking and using drugs.

In November 2002, an intoxicated Mr. Cruz tried to drive home after watching a boxing match. He struck a woman’s car and kept driving before crashing again. He woke up in the hospital with a broken shoulder and neck and chest injuries. He later learned that the woman in the car had been pregnant and suffered a miscarriage.

During his first night in prison, Mr. Cruz tried to hang himself with a sweater. Guards put him under suicide watch.

At the prison health clinic, a nurse gave him a Bible and told him, “I’ll be praying for you.”

Her words provided comfort. Mr. Cruz resolved to change. He pleaded guilty to criminal charges and accepted a 10-year prison sentence and the loss of his visa to stay in the United States, which his parents had helped him get a decade before.

At Green Rock Correctional Center in Chatham, Va., Mr. Cruz immersed himself in Christianity, attending Bible study and theology classes sponsored by Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. He served as a translator at weekend services for other Latinos in the prison.

Best answer:

Answer by Tom
No. I feel justice was served. He is, after all, an ILLEGAL immigrant.

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Being an addict leaves an individual in constant turmoil, whether, the addiction is an alcohol addiction, or a drug addiction. There is not one addict that does not want to quit. An addiction has a harmful effect on not only the individual, but the family and friends of the addict, as well. In time, the addiction begins to completely control their lives, and you will find that it can possess a high level of risk to the individual, both emotionally and physically.
There are millions of American’s that are struggling to overcome a drug addiction or alcoholism. There are also millions of American’s that have overcome their addictions. Whether you are an addict, or you know someone that is suffering with addiction, the time to take action is now.
There is a variety of information out there, but, likely one of the best support and therapeutic resources for the addict is a rehab center. Through a rehab center the addict has the specialized care and counsel that they need for their addiction.
What Can I Expect From a Drug Rehab Center?
A drug rehab center is specialized to treat the addict. They are aware of the latest techniques, have the proper equipment, counsel and medical personnel at the facility, as well as, the support the addict needs. There are over 15,000 treatment centers in the United States, with each having their own degree of specialty in treating the addiction.

What Should I Look For in a Drug Rehab Center?

Drug Rehab centers will vary in location. Some may be in the center of the city, while others are in a secluded area. You should look for an addiction center that provides comprehensive addiction treatment. This may be a detox, an outpatient or residential care. Many rehab centers are based on the 12 Step-based addiction treatment programs which are used by Alcoholic Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. The rehab centers should have medically supervised detox, outpatient and residential care, which include counseling to the recovering addict.

The idea of the rehab center is to provide a spiritual, emotional and physical rebirth. The addict can expect to receive:

* Education about addiction
* Group and individual counseling
* Recovery skills training
* Family program
* Sober recreation
* Relapse prevention planning
*Possible lifetime aftercare
* Possibly 12 Step Meetings and Book Study
* Medical Supervision

Personal care is important when overcoming an addiction. The addict wants their life back, but, without the proper care, that may not be possible, as it is an addiction that they are dealing with. Recovery means having tools, programs, and activities to support the addict in the journey of recovery. Management and recovery must be taught and personalized for the individual and the rehab center must be one that the addict whether an alcoholic or a drug addicts is comfortable in the environment.
A rehab center that offers lifetime aftercare which is important as there are times in an addicts life, even once recovered from their addiction, they may fall back and begin to indulge in their addiction again.

Find More Alcohol Drug Treatment Center Articles

A large no of people in Chicago use alcohol and other narcotics. Some people drink alcohol as a fashion but some use it to relieve from depression. The consumption of alcohol is very effective against depression and stress but it is not beneficial to use for long term. The drinkers can face many problems in their lives due to the consumption of alcohol like kidney failure, hypertension and many others. Therefore consumption of alcohol is not better for everyone because it is fatal for human health. The important factor is that it is also not easy to inhibit alcohol because it is difficult process. If you want to stop using alcohol then you should decrease its amount gradually because it is better than abrupt inhibition of alcohol. The side effects are possible after quick inhibition of alcohol therefore drinkers should avoid from this practice. Alcohol treatment Chicago center is a department that helps drinkers who want to stop using alcohol. Therefore if you want to have better treatment then it is better to join this center. The main objective of this centre is to provide complete protection to drinkers against side effects. The consumption of alcohol has become an epidemic in Chicago therefore these centers are very necessary.
Similarly there are many ways that can help you against alcohol consumption. You can search about it with the help of internet because it is a big source and it can provide you useful information. You just need to use the internet and type alcohol abuse then you will find a large no of options and treatments against alcohol consumption. A large no of hospitals and therapists are present in united state for your help. Chicago is also a very develop city and it contains a lot of hospitals and skilled doctors for your help. Similarly you can also use many other options like you can consult with your doctor to handle this problem. You can also use many drugs to stop alcohol consumption. Entertainment is also a best way for this purpose. Your health provider can provide useful and better information about it therefore you should act upon your doctor directions because it is beneficial for you. Most of the doctors recommend rehab centers in Chicago for drinkers treatment because it is a best place for their treatment. In rehab centers skilled and experienced doctors provide good management to the patients of depression.
The most important factor behind the alcohol consumption is depression. People use alcohol to relive from depression and anxiety. The alcohol is not beneficial for the treatment of depression because it provides relief only for a short period of time. The depression appears due to reduction of hormones and chemicals in human brain. Therefore medicines can provide good treatment against depression and anxiety. Drug rehabilitation in Chicago is a very important treatment for drinker in Chicago. Similarly it also provides better treatment to alcohol consumers. Therefore rehab center is a best place for the treatment of drinkers.
 

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US News Names Kessler Institute One of Top Two Rehab Hospitals in US
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange has again been ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top two rehabilitation hospitals in the country. The magazine also honored Kessler for being the leading facility of its kind in New …
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California is one of the largest and most populated states in the country. Located on the western part of the United States, against the Pacific Ocean, it borders Oregon on the north and Mexico on the south. It has a diverse population and many parts of the state, such as Los Angeles, are overcrowded. There is heavy use of drugs, as well as alcohol in the state, as a result of which there are over 1000 California Rehab Centers, more than anywhere else in the country, with Orange Country having the majority.
Experience has shown that long term’ treatment is much more effective than ‘short term’ (less than 30 days) with California Rehabilitation programs. Following treatment at the center, there is extended care, followed by weekly checkups and group therapy. It has been found that continued reinforcement is needed for the program, whether drugs or alcohol, if it is to be successful.
This treatment is obtained at a tremendous cost, not only to the government and the individual, but to society as well. Many break-ins, robberies, family abuse’ and other problems of society, are directly attributed to this problem. Federal, state and local governments, alone, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each week with arrests, trials and imprisonment of these people. Records for 2005 show that almost half a trillion dollars was spent on substance abuse and addiction problems in the United States. It is reported that only two percent went toward rehabilitation.
Treatment at the centers can vary, however the majority of long-term programs (30-45 days) have intense, cognitive behavioral therapy, either individually or in a group, working up to life skills and a return to normal life. There are centers that are specifically for a particular gender, such as one for women, in Costa Mesa, California, which is a private pay facility. There are also county-funded programs, with managed care options.
Because of the frequency of the problem of overcrowding, in the prison system, by alcohol and drug abuse people, the legislation introduced Proposition 36, which sends many people with this problem into rehabilitation, rather than prison. This has caused a dramatic increase in the number of rehabilitation centers in the state. In addition, because it is acknowledged that it is difficult for addicts to remain drug or alcohol free, in some cases there is monitoring and inpatient residential programs after treatment.
Among the many rehab centers in California, there are a number that are sponsored by religious organizations. One of the most successful of this type of rehab center has a program is directed toward young teens with alcohol and drug problems. It offers housing, treatment, training and other guidance not only to teens but to children and adults as well.
This program, as well as similar ones, has been very successful and has been copied by other cities throughout the United States. It is felt that, by treating people, the younger the better, lives can be improved by being free of alcohol or drug abuse. When completing a program, reinforcement must be continued for a long time if it is to be successful.
Alcohol and drug abuse affects everyone in the country, and every level of life. In California, alone, it takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight the problem, that could better be used for things such as education. California rehab centers are at the front in treatment of people with this problem but there is still a long way to go.