Alcohol, Other Drugs and Prison

Our society has not yet come to terms with the failed policy of putting alcoholics, drug addicts and substance abusers in prison. Alcohol, other drugs and prison is a major problem in America. Having an addiction problem doesn’t excuse someone from murder or armed robbery or other violent crimes, but putting addicts in prison for non-violent crimes that are associated with their addiction is futile, wasteful and counter-productive. Here are some statistics from CASA Columbia.

Of the 2.3 million inmates crowding our nations prisons and jails, 1.5 million meet the DSM-IV medical criteria for substance abuse or addiction, and another 458,000, while not meeting the strict DSM-IV criteria, had histories of substance abuse; were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of their crime; committed their offense to get money to buy drugs; were incarcerated for an alcohol or drug law violation; or shared some combination of these characteristics, according to Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America’s Prison Population. Combined these two groups constitute 85% of the U.S. prison population.

Drug Courts and DUI Courts, in which non-violent law-breakers are given a chance to receive long term treatment reveal that treating addiction is better than filling up more prisons and ruining more lives to the point there’s little hope of real change. As Drug/DUI courts become more effective, and if more resources become available to attract quality addiction treatment providers, the results will surely improve. The addiction treatment field has been underfunded. Even private insurance companies don’t cover addiction treatment like they do other medical conditions.

The quality of addiction treatment will remain inconsistent until there’s proper funding. Talented young people leaving college aren’t attracted to the addiction treatment field because other fields of endeavor offer better pay. The idea that people who work in addiction treatment should do it solely out of the goodness of their hearts is a very old and silly idea. Addiction treatment is a healthcare service that can save society billions of dollars if done right, not to mention the lives it can save, and the improvement in the quality of life for millions it can provide. If treatment is effective on only half of the non-violent law-breakers who are now going to prison for what is fundamentally an addiction problem, then that alone is worth is the effort.