The effects of addiction on the brain and mind create an obsessive mindset that “naturally” leads to criminal type behaviors when drug supplies are lacking. Trends on drug abuse and crime reflect this pattern of behavior and account for a good percentage of the prison population in general.
It’s no secret how addiction takes over a person’s ability to choose, let alone distinguish right from wrong. In an effort to address the cyclic pattern of drugs and crime many states have implemented a drug court system designed to provide needed treatment help in the place of automatic incarceration.
Rehabilitation during incarceration also offer viable options for reducing crime rates and repeat offenses.
Under these conditions, rehab does hold some credence in terms of reducing crime by addressing the root of the problem rather than its resulting behaviors.
Trends on Drug Abuse & Crime
A large percentage of prisoners are serving for drug-related offenses.
Possessing large quantities of drugs, trafficking drugs and crimes committed in an effort to obtain money for drugs account for the majority of drug-related offenses committed.
According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, drug-related arrests exist as the largest crime category, with drugs accounting for an estimated 12.2 percent of 14 million arrests in 2008.
Not surprisingly, these patterns have resulted in over-crowding in correctional facilities across the nation, with 20 percent of all state prisoners and 53 percent of all federal prisoners serving time for drug-related offenses.
The drug court model offers offenders the option of entering drug rehab in the place of going to jail based on a person’s eligibility for treatment. Drug courts typically work with criminal offenders, juveniles, veterans and parents involved with the child welfare systems as well as other selected case types.
According to the National Institute of Justice, as of 2014, there are an estimated 3,000 drug courts operating within the United States.
The Need for Rehab Treatment
Addiction warps a person’s overall psychological makeup and breeds its own mindset, priorities and behaviors in his or her life. Whether a person is appearing in court or currently serving time, the need for rehab treatment help remains.
Referring a person to rehab as opposed to sending him or her to jail better addresses the problem at its root. Likewise, ensuring someone who’s just been released from jail has the necessary supports in place to reduce the likelihood of repeat offenses has a better chance of reducing crime and incarceration rates overall, according to the U. S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Considerations
If drug-related activities were simply a matter of evil intent or lack of moral character, incarceration may well be an effective means for curtailing these types of behaviors, but they’re not. The mechanism of addiction takes on a life of its own when left untreated regardless of whatever consequences may lie in wait.
For these reasons, drug court models and drug rehab in general offers a more productive approach to addressing today’s crime crisis.
If you or someone you know struggle with an addiction problem, and need help finding treatment that meets your needs, please feel free to call our toll-free helpline at 888-646-0635Who Answers? to speak with one of our addictions specialists.
Illicit drugs like crystal meth, cocaine, and heroin are not the only substances to which a person can become addicted. According to the NIDA, “Some medications have psychoactive (mind-altering) properties and, because of that, are sometimes abused––that is, taken for reasons or in ways or amounts not intended by a doctor, or taken by someone….
Signs and symptoms of a drinking problem can often go unnoticed until the real dangers and consequences begin to set in. It’s not always easy to recognize when your drinking has passed the point of fun and social to dangerous and troublesome. For some, moderate social drinking quickly leads to dependence while others may be able….
A quality treatment facility will be best equipped to deal with the transition from treatment to recovery. But, that doesn’t mean that recovery tips only come from rehab centers, counselors, and addicts. They can actually be found in a number of unlikely places. Animal Kingdom: Accept That Addiction Is Part of Your Make-Up The New….
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one of the best treatments for any type of addiction is therapy or counseling. Although honesty and trusting your therapist is a large part of counseling, there are some things that your therapist will not tell you. 1. Therapy is Hard Work Learning to live without the….
Attorney General Mike DeWine was the main speaker and leader at a conference held in Christ’s Church in Mason, Ohio on Tuesday, March 27, 2018. The conference was focused on the opioid epidemic in the state of Ohio and also specifically on the children who have become affected, hurt, and displaced by this crisis when….
Negative consequences are a daily occurrence with both alcoholism and with alcohol abuse. People who abuse alcohol get into trouble but the consequences of such trouble can greatly determine whether an individual suffers from alcoholism or from alcohol abuse. Individuals who abuse alcohol still have some control over their drinking and have fewer relationship problems….
Heroin is one of the most destructive addictions in the whole world, destroying lives and sometimes taking out everything in its path. Heroin addiction treatment is estimated to be one of the most difficult types of addiction treatment to provide and heroin rehab can become a lifelong process for the recovering addict. Faced with a….
Alcoholism is a serious condition that affects thousands of Americans. Fortunately, for those suffering from alcoholism there are alcohol rehab centers that can provide a safe place for recovery from this dangerous and devastating addiction. Alcohol rehab is a program that consists of a core treatment which is typically detox, the counseling that is followed….
Struggling with drug addiction is a terrible situation that many people deal with alone. Isolation and feelings of helplessness or shame are all too common for those addicted to drugs. The good news is that nobody has to deal with drug addiction alone. If somebody that you love is addicted to drugs do you think….
Addiction is a chronic and relapsing brain disease which the NIDA describes “as a complex disorder that can involve virtually every aspect of an individual’s functioning—in the family, at work and school, and in the community.” Once a person becomes addicted to a substance such as alcohol or drugs, their lives become vicious cycles of….
Calls to any general helpline will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed, each of which is a paid advertiser: Recovery Helpline or Alli Addiction Services.
By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.
