The Consequences Of Drug Addiction

For several years, including today there have been many attempts to decrease drug use, which if it is not treated usually leads to a higher rate of crime, hence, “the war on drugs”. However, there are only small solutions that may get rid of some few problems temporarily rather than a long lasting solution. By creating harsh sentencing towards illegal drug use, it effects society in the long run. Consequences should be held for those accountable, however, a more realistic approach would be having more facilities not necessarily prison, but rehab homes and centers that are set for drug treatment, mental illness and rehabilitation. An issue that presents itself is combining those with these drug affiliated needs population, alongside convicted

Addiction often time leads to an individual’s health declining, their financial security declines. Drug addicts have a hard time keeping a job, which leads to having trouble with the law, and sometimes even leads to being homeless. Drug addiction is a sickness, if it is not being taken serious, and without the right kind of treatment addicts will just find their way back to using, even after they have served their time in prison. The Administration’s National Drug Control Strategy recognizes that addiction is a disease, and that the criminal justice system can play a vital role in reducing the costs and consequences of crimes committed by drug-involved offenders. If drug addicts received proper treatment and proper help needed to overcome the addiction, which will give those individuals a new opportunity to live a clean healthy life, and will contribute to society in a positive

About 80 percent of offenders abuse drugs or alcohol (Belenko & Peugh, 1998). Close to 50 percent of jail and prison inmates are clinically addicted to substance abuse (Karberg & James, 2005). The drug courts do their part to keep nonviolent drug offenders in treatments for long periods of time, and they are supervised closely. Rehab patients regularly and randomly tested for drug use, they are required to show up to court and discuss their progress with a judge. If the patients are reporting and doing well they receive some types of rewards. However if rehab patients are meeting their requirements they can also be penalized for not meeting their obligations. Drug courts have been put under a microscope and have been proven to work better than just sending an addict to jail or prison. Drug courts reduce the reported drug use, and they also do it in a cheaper way than any other justice strategy.
Drug courts provide the proper balance between the need for treatment and the need for accountability. It is also proven that drug courts are six times more likely to keep drug offenders in treatment long enough for them to actually get better and make a full recovery (Marlowe, 2003). Other benefits from drug courts are that they save taxpayers money, being that they reduce prison costs and trials. The negative side to drug courts is that they are not reaching a large enough population of abusers