Drug Addiction In Prison Essay
Around me, I constantly hear how people are addicted to their phones, shopping, or certain foods. Those types of addictions can often be overlooked or portrayed as humorous. As a result of increased dopamine, as well as the brain's need to escape unpleasant situations, addictions toward things beneficial or harmful to us occur. A withdrawal from the things that provide pleasure to our brains may cause intense cravings and even physical illness. Someone with a substance use disorder will be unable to control how they use legal or illegal drugs and medication because of the chemical reactions in the brain. People with substance use disorders need help, not incarceration which is why for nonviolent drug offenses, offenders should be rehabilitated as opposed to incarcerated.
Around one-fifth of the incarcerated population, which is around 456,000 individuals, have been faced with a drug charge. The American Public Health Association (APHA) says that only 11% of people who have been incarcerated and have a substance use disorder have been able to get treatment for their addictions. APHA suggests that the rest are incarcerated with the hope of their addictions fading away with time. This mindset forgets that addiction is a chemical persistence in the brain, not just a habit you can drop at any time. The remaining 89% of individuals with untreated substance use disorders that are incarcerated are left with an addiction that can not just go away.
Even while in jail, drug addictions will not go away. Dan Rosen wrote in the Marshall Project that while in jail, “the addicts in here will continue to snort and smoke anything they can find.” He went on to say, “I was a little naive when I first got locked up, thinking it must be hard to get drugs and get high in here. To my shock, it was as common or more so than outside. (...)—people try to get high on whatever they can find, everywhere I’ve been locked up, and no matter what security measures are in place to prevent it.” People could endanger themselves by not getting the help they need within our justice system. As a result of incarceration, substance use disorders can become more dangerous and worse because addicts will find anything to provide the pleasurable feeling their brain craves, especially under stressful circumstances.
Meanwhile, in rehabilitation, there are programs that can provide medical detox services or counseling sessions where people with substance use disorders can learn about triggers and coping skills. Even support groups will be able to help so that they can learn more about their addictions from the perspective of others. Behavioral therapies can include cognitive behavioral therapy, or contingency management therapy (crimesolutions.ojp.gov/). Rehabilitation will provide overdose education and distribution of the opioid reversal medication.
When inmates receive the proper treatment and medications for their addictions, the number of overdose deaths following incarceration is lower (National Institute of Drug Abuse). However, the rate of individuals who will receive help is startlingly low. When people get the help they need within the Justice system, they tend to avoid committing crimes that would land them back in jail because of the chance for a better life.
When being incarcerated, a person with a substance use disorder is forced to enter a new unfamiliar life. After their sentence, when they arrive back home, they have to go back to their old lives where their addictions started. Back at home, previously incarcerated addicts could be facing abuse or financial issues which made them start their addictions originally. It is like getting smacked in the face with a brick when you return to a reality you may have forgotten about, but still have unresolved issues that weren’t fixed while in prison.
This can cause individuals to go into a shock, which may cause them to relapse leading to an overdose. Even though their bodies are no longer tolerated to the drug, the person newly integrated back into society would likely go back to familiar habits with familiar doses which can cause an overdose. According to americanprogress.org, Ending the War on Drugs, “ incarceration is linked with increased mortality from an overdose. In the first two weeks after their release from prison, individuals are almost 13 times more likely to die than the general population”.
Rehabilitation and proper programs and care remain crucial in recovery. It will be able to educate the people with substance use disorders about overdosing, and how to cope with life when they return to society.
As ncbi.nlm.nih.gov stated, having a criminal record reduces job callbacks by 50%. People emerging out of jail may not be able to provide financial support for their families. A criminal record not only reduces their chance of employment but also their choice of housing and real estate. Being able to fight addiction while in rehab or incarceration is incredibly strong, brave, and not an easy task. People who have substance use disorders need rehabilitation, not a criminal record.
Although some may believe that people who end up incarcerated did so because of their own poor choices, they fail to recognize the racial disparities of drug arrests. According to ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, “The overwhelming increase in incarceration, attributed to the drug war, has disproportionately impacted Black communities.” The increase in incarceration and involvement in the justice system for Black people relates to policing practices, differences in sentences, and case processing. Black Americans make up nearly 30 percent of all drug-related arrests despite only being 12.5% of all substance users, (americanprogress.org). There is also a “heightened disadvantage” Black people of color face when they are removed from their communities and return as labeled felons and drug offenders.
No matter the race or the color of a person’s skin, addictions are real and people with a substance use disorder deserve to be offered a chance to get help. Choosing to believe that just because a person got arrested, even for a nonviolent crime offense, doesn’t deserve the opportunity to get better is ignoring the injustices within the justice system.
Some may believe that increasing the incarceration rate higher for drug possession will encourage people to stay away from harmful substances. Fifty years ago when President Nixon started his war on drugs, it increased the state prison populations for drug offenses. Pew.org writes that the number of people incarcerated for drug offenses remains larger than in 1980, yet drug misuse continues to increase as well. Jake Horowitz and Julie Wertheimer say “prior research has found that no relationship exists between state drug imprisonment rates and drug use” Despite the efforts to stop or scare away drug use, the justice system has not. The system is abusing its power with the belief that they are helping, yet it has done nothing for the people incarcerated or the people with substance use disorders.
The justice system should want to live up to its name and provide justice for everyone. Each and every human life is valuable, and the justice system should not be punishing those who are deeply struggling and are already causing harm to themselves. Addictions come with a great deal of stigma, and people don’t always understand that addictions form due to chemical changes, not personal failings. People who aren’t causing harm to others should not be put into situations that will make their lives worse. The idea of wanting to use our resources and help others is what makes us human. We as a society should be accepting, forgiving, and understanding. Without these qualities how is anyone supposed to make a real change and stand up for injustice?
