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Module 5-6 Assignment: Persuasive Essay Draft
Taylor Heger
Southern New Hampshire University
ENG-123: English Composition II
Kenneth Saldivar
October 2, 2022
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Addiction Treatment Within the Criminal Justice System
Whether or not drug users should be sent to jail or rehabilitation treatment is a continuous
controversy enclosed by politics and the justice system. While public safety is paramount,
addiction treatment is a beneficial alternative for drug offenders to incarceration, by reason of,
those who undergo treatment are less likely to recommit crimes and have a higher probability of
becoming productive members of society, incarceration is not a deterrent to substance or alcohol
abuse, and tools given in treatment provide individuals with the ability to create new coping
mechanisms to prevent relapses.
In a treatment setting, individuals are surrounded by others that are engaging in addiction
therapy. Furthermore, instead of concentrating on their defects, rehabilitation facilities let addicts
know that they are not alone in this process by aiding in accepting a more confident attitude.
While rehabilitated, individuals are provided with professional counselors, an option that is not
available to incarcerated drug offenders. Addiction and alcoholism are not an easily won battle
without a strong support system. Successful treatment engages a multitude of demands of an
individual, not only drug or alcohol abuse. To be efficient, drug treatment centers concentrate on
an individual’s corrective, cognitive, and societal needs on top of drug use.
There is minimal access to treatment options or medical care while incarcerated. In
addition to having a negative effect on the offender, incarceration has a direct influence on their
families as well. Carrying a record for substance abuse makes it difficult for these individuals to
positively move forward upon release. For example, when potential employers or landlords see
drug related
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charges when conducting a background check, it often causes them to hesitate, making it further
problematic for drug offenders to meet basic needs. Addicts are often aware of the grief and
torment they have caused their loved ones because of their addiction and placing them in a jail
setting only reaffirms their adverse state of mind, subsequently resulting in the return to drug
abuse upon release from jail, starting the cycle all over.
Prevention efforts strive to cultivate and back individuals and communities to avert the
utilization of drug misuse and the materialization of substance use disorders. Composing
understanding that drug addiction is a disease and not a moral failing, one that is treatable is
critical to combatting the drug epidemic. Substance abuse is not only targeted at inner cities or
rural areas, but an issue that runs rampant universally. The severe dishonor associated with
pursuing help for drug addiction is commonplace, and as a result, the destructive ramifications to
the person and the public are not handled accordingly. However, when the implementation of
drug prevention policies is actively enforced, they have been proven to diminish of drug use and
misuse. Conscious curriculums in the neighborhood need to be done in an all-inclusive approach,
determined by factual information and vigorous opportunities.
Incarceration has a negative effect on individuals with SUDs. Without proper treatment
options, many resume drug use upon release from jail or prison. Confinement of drug offenders
is not a cost-effective reaction to addiction treatment. Incarceration costs approximately $32,000
per inmate each year, further supporting that imprisonment is not conducive in lessening
substance abuse.
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Digression policies conserve money and improve public safety. Testimony shows that rerouting
substance abuse offenders to treatment programs instead of locking them up can lessen
regression and conserve millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money.
In conclusion, whether you agree that addicts can be rehabilitated or should be locked
away, I personally believe that these individuals can and should have the opportunity at a better
life. You may be swayed by reading this essay, or at the least open-minded to understanding the
other side of the coin.
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References
Chandler, R. K., Fletcher, B. W., & Volkow, N. D. (2009). Treating Drug Abuse and Addiction
in the Criminal Justice System. JAMA, 301(2), 183.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2008.976
Hardee, J. (2017). Is Addiction a Disease? Science Says Yes. Uofmhealth.org.
https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/brain-health/science-says-addiction-a-chronic-disease-
not-a-moral-failing
Lyons, C. L. (2020, May 15). Alcohol abuse. CQ researcher, 30, 1-30. http://library.cqpress.com/
Sloas, Lincoln B., & Atkin-Plunk, C.A. (2019). Perceptions of Balanced Justice and
Rehabilitation for Drug Offenders. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 30(7), 990-1009.
https://doi.org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1177/0887403418762532
Vaida, B. (2021, August 6). Opioid crisis. CQ researcher, 31, 1-58. http://library.cqpress.com/
Writer, G. (2019, November 15). Failure to Accept Addiction as Disease Makes It Harder to
Handle the Fallout. The Imprint. https://imprintnews.org/opinion/half-of-americans-still-
dont-believe-addiction-is-a disease/39119?
gclid=Cj0KCQjwmdGYBhDRARIsABmSEeOuMYNfjQPTXkdoWlPcFH_N7h0h7oS6f
Nzn_oSB1wK1gT_BfoAFPSAaAqkIEALw_wcB
Promising Strategies to Reduce Substance Abuse Promising Strategies to Reduce Substance
Abuse. (n.d.). https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/ojp/183152.pdf
