Lets just incarcerate everyone that does drugs and have them do drugs in prison instead. That way it will cost our government a boat load of money just for the peace of mind of everyone who hasnt been affected by drugs.
We do a lot of things when we are in active addiction that's against the law but is prison really the answer?
I remember when I had to go to court for check fraud when I was 16 and in the middle of my full blown addiction. I got a call from the police department that they wanted to talk to me. The check situation was completely out of my mind by that time so I went in not sure what to expect. They ended up treating me like a victim, acting like they felt sorry for me. Maybe it was because I was only sixteen and my boyfriend was 21. They even asked me if my boyfriend made me do it. I was honest and told them that no one made me do it I did it because I was addicted to drugs.
After informing me that I'd have to go to court because the store where I had cashed the checks was pressing charges they asked that I tell my boyfriend they also wanted to speak with him. Thankfully, the charges were eventually dropped although I'm still not sure why. I like to think it had something to do with us being young, addicted, and wanting to give us a chance to do better with our lives before giving us a criminal record. I know it's probably wishful thinking.
I remember when I had to go to court for check fraud when I was 16 and in the middle of my full blown addiction. I got a call from the police department that they wanted to talk to me. The check situation was completely out of my mind by that time so I went in not sure what to expect. They ended up treating me like a victim, acting like they felt sorry for me. Maybe it was because I was only sixteen and my boyfriend was 21. They even asked me if my boyfriend made me do it. I was honest and told them that no one made me do it I did it because I was addicted to drugs.
After informing me that I'd have to go to court because the store where I had cashed the checks was pressing charges they asked that I tell my boyfriend they also wanted to speak with him. Thankfully, the charges were eventually dropped although I'm still not sure why. I like to think it had something to do with us being young, addicted, and wanting to give us a chance to do better with our lives before giving us a criminal record. I know it's probably wishful thinking.
I'm happy that more addicts are getting sentenced with mandatory treatment instead of prison lately, but our jail population is still filled with too many addicts who aren't getting the proper treatment. Going to jail gives them the opportunity to get clean but once released the chances of relapse are extremely high. If you're like me and you believe that addiction is a mental health issue then wouldn't mandatory treatment be a better option for addicts. If we truly want to rehabilitate them and help them become productive members of society then addressing their addiction would be the best course of action.
Putting addicts in prison isn't actually fixing the problem it's only putting it on hold. Don't get me wrong some crimes do deserve jail time, no doubt about that, but if the crime was due to an addiction chances of them repeating that crime are extremely high if the addiction isn't treated properly. I think for the more severe crimes they should still get some jail time but with access to proper addiction treatment.
Our society should incorporate effective addiction treatments in all prisons. For the minor drug offenses mandatory treatment would be ideal. The influence of more hardcore criminals can be destructive to addicts who are only there for drug related offenses. People usually come out of prison with better connections and ways of committing crimes so keeping them separated could benefit everyone. I'm glad our society is finally recognizing the fact that addicts need real help, not just prison time.
What do you guys think. Let me know in the comments below.
Charmed.
Putting addicts in prison isn't actually fixing the problem it's only putting it on hold. Don't get me wrong some crimes do deserve jail time, no doubt about that, but if the crime was due to an addiction chances of them repeating that crime are extremely high if the addiction isn't treated properly. I think for the more severe crimes they should still get some jail time but with access to proper addiction treatment.
Our society should incorporate effective addiction treatments in all prisons. For the minor drug offenses mandatory treatment would be ideal. The influence of more hardcore criminals can be destructive to addicts who are only there for drug related offenses. People usually come out of prison with better connections and ways of committing crimes so keeping them separated could benefit everyone. I'm glad our society is finally recognizing the fact that addicts need real help, not just prison time.
What do you guys think. Let me know in the comments below.
Charmed.
Hey Chelsea! Good post! Yes addicts sometimes aren't getting proper treatment in prisons at all! Many times relapses happen and I find it's both due to insuffient treatment of not only addiction, but mental health! Also, many can't cope with society once out, and this is true to my step dad who was so institutionalized from being in and out of prison from the time he was a juvenile, that he just can't deal with life the way we should be living it, he is almost 60 and still has never been off of drugs/alcohol! But yes addiction treatment and mental health treatment should be the answer, not throwing ppl in jail for having these diseases! They are recognizing this now! Just like good samaritan laws now being passed where you won't be arrested for calling in an overdose if you have drugs! Thanks for sharing this its great!! I could go on and on about this subject but will only post a bit! xo
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy their finally recognizing it and making changes. The more ppl talk about it the more changes we will be able to bring on. I truly believe recovering addicts like us who speak up or write a blog are really making a difference by adding our voices to the cause. The more we are the stronger we become :)
ReplyDeleteEveryone's voice needs to be heard. Prisons, especially, should be flexible according to the way an inmate feels he/she should be treated. I also agree that prisons should incorporate more effective treatments for addicts. After all, prison is a place to rehabilitate people and help them get back on their feet. In any way, thanks for the enlightening read, Chelsie! All the best to you!
ReplyDeleteEliseo Weinstein @ JR’S Bail Bond
I agree, people should have a say on how they are treated in prison. We are all human and our voices matter. I know some crimes are so terrible that they require jail time. However, jail time shouldn't be used as punishment only but as a way to prevent such crimes from happening again. We need to keep working on improving and implementing a variety of flexible rehabilitation strategies to suit individual needs. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Hope to hear from you again. Take care
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