Sometimes you have to think outside the box to find a solution to a problem. Trying to solve the rising tide of drug abuse in this country something needs to be changed about the way we are currently dealing with the issue.
Up front and center in this issue is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Governor Christie proposed a transformation of New Jersey’s drug policy so that nonviolent offenders with substance-use disorders would be treated instead of incarcerated. This proposal demonstrates his understanding that “nothing is as strong as an idea whose time has come,” as French philosopher Victor Hugo said.
This proposal should save the state millions spent on jailing nonviolent drug offenders. The prison population jumped 43 percent nationally in the past 10 years.
Rehab Over Punishment
Christie is taking advantage of the confluence of public sentiment, fiscal imperative, compassion and good policy that has the potential to change lives and definitively solve the state’s fiscal crisis.
It is critical that the state sufficiently fund community-based nonprofits that understand the challenges their clients face and empower them to adopt healthy lifestyles and pursue lifelong goals.
Success stories abound about previously jailed people who now are working, caring for families and enriching their communities. While there is no doubt about the effectiveness of treatment, it is not an easy fix and must be constantly accessible.
Substance-use disorder is a disease that can be managed, just like heart disease and diabetes. Studies have shown that funds for nonprofit providers will result in saving many lives and significant amounts of money.
Changing the paradigm from “punishing” offenders to providing the treatment they need to reclaim their lives will have far-reaching effects as substance-use disorders affect people across all cultures, races and economic levels: Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder; youth who fell through the cracks and found themselves in despair; elderly who, depressed after outliving loved ones, become addicted to pain medication; long-term unemployed who are unable to cope in healthy terms — everyone will benefit when state policy enables them to live the lives they want and deserve.
As documented by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, each dollar invested in substance use treatment and prevention yields a $12 return. Christie’s revolutionary policy will pave the way for fiscal relief by slashing in half the money spent incarcerating thousands of nonviolent offenders and by saving millions of corrections dollars.
While the prison system was developed to reform and rehabilitate the fact remains that drug addicts remain addicted in prison, somehow finding a way to obtain illegal contraband in jail. I think this is a great idea. Funding drug classes and greater counseling will help society in the long run.
Source: http://blog.nj.com