A Medical not a Criminal Problem

Posted on July 25, 2006 in Addictions Compassion Health Justice

Possibly among the biggest chunks of common sense that I have come across in answer to the Republican-driven “war on people crime

In its first report aimed at improving how the criminal justice system deals with drug addicts, the National Institute on Drug Abuse offered 13 guidelines Monday for what works – and what fails.

The key is understanding that drug addiction is a brain disease that affects behavior, and that it requires carefully monitored, personalized treatment, including access to medication such as methadone after the drug offender is released into society, the institute said.

“What does not work? Putting a person who is addicted to drugs in jail for five or 10 years and thinking that will cure him with no treatment,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the anti-drug abuse agency. “The likelihood of that person relapsing is very high.”

The guidelines urge a mix of traditionally liberal and conservative approaches.

Harry Truman once said he used to listen to the liberal James V. Bennet of the Bureau of Prisons and the draconian J. Edgar Hoover, then steer a course between them. I think we need to make the dragon swallow an ocean on this matter before we follow its advice.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, experts are not happy with the overuse of 12 Step Programs in prisons. They don’t seem to help everyone as much as they give a few people a new kind of addiction.