It is better to send drug addicts to mandatory drug treatment programs rather than sentencing them to jail or prison. Many years ago I sat on a jury where the man on trial had bought an illegal drug within a block of an elementary school. All the jurors were deliberating whether to send him to prison or to a drug treatment center. It was a heated discussion time. I was in favor of the treatment center as well as ten others. The twelfth juror was the only holdout. It took some convincing to show her that if even one portion of this mandate was violated, this man would immediately be sent to prison. When she was absolutely assured of this point, she too, reluctantly, consented to send him to a treatment program.
A treatment program...
...that is court order must be obeyed. When I spoke with J. Hansen, a manager of a substance abuse facility, she said that people who come to the facilities because of court order are ready to obey all the rules because they know that if they do not, they will get sent to prison (J. Hansen, personal communication, July 8, 2011).
...is controlled. Experts in the field are caring for the individual.
...is dry, as opposed to the circulation of illegal and legal drugs in prison (Alexander, LaRosa, Bader, Garfield, & Alexander, 2010, p. 365).
...can provide counsel for the often accompanying mental issues.
...has a goal for sobriety.
...is cheaper (Hanson, Venturelli, & Fleckenstein, 2009, p. 34).
...educates people of the harm being done in their bodies.
...can have great success rates. Phoenix House has a 70% success rate (J. Hansen, personal communication, July 8, 2011).
Now obviously, if a crime was committed, the saying is true, "if you do a crime, you do the time."
References
Alexander, L. L., LaRosa, J. H., Bader, H., Garfield, S., & Alexander, W. J. (2010). New dimensions
in women's health. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers
Hanson, G. R., Venturelli, P. J., Fleckenstein, A. E. (2009). Drugs and society. Sudbury,
Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers
Buckley Blog Comment 1:
ReplyDeleteRebecca,
I really enjoyed reading about your personal experience with this topic. I learned a lot from your blog this week. I had no idea that with a treatment program you are sent to jail after one violation. I guess the only information I have ever read about in regards to this issue are celebrity drug trials. For example, one might be confused and think an offender gets several chances after following trials like Lindsay Lohan's and Paris Hilton's. I congratulate you for giving someone a second chance by letting them get sober instead of sending them to jail where their issues will not be addressed.