1.16.2009

Drug Addicted Prisoners Not Getting the Treatment They Need

How do you stop a drug addicted convict from coming back to prison after his or her release?

1. Treat their drug addiction.

2. Do not treat their drug addiction.

The answer should be, treat them. Unfortunately, less than 20 percent of the time inmates are not getting the treatment they need. The number comes from the most recent report of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Add this to the fact that about half of all inmates are dependent on drugs and you have a big chunk of prisoners, most of whom will someday be released, who have not been treated for their dependency which, in many cases, lead to the incarceration in the first place.

The results? More drug abuse, more crime, more prisoners, more prisons and on an on.

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