Drug Treatment Programs for Prisoners - Dissertation Example

 Drug Treatment Programs for Prisoners 1. Introduction Drug use in prisons has become a major issue all over the world. Prisoners use drugs while being in prisons as they have resources both inside and outside the prisons that provide them with the types of drugs they require. In third-world countries, people who are addict to drugs prefer to remain in prisons as they have comparatively easy access to drugs in prisons. Although in European and American countries, use of drugs in prisons is comparatively low, but it cannot be said that there is no drug use in those prisons. Prisoners are still getting drugs through hidden channels and some have become so drug addicts that they come to prisons repeatedly because they cannot stop themselves from using drugs upon release from prisons. People who get imprisoned due to use of illegal drugs experience a number of problems in their lives, such as, mental health issues, unemployment, lack of social support, unstable physical health, and financial and literacy problems. They are unaware of the fact that they are putting their lives at risk just for a temporary pleasure and relaxation that they get from the use of illegal drugs. In many cases, people who take illegal drugs commit crimes and other violent activities. The relationship between crimes and use of drugs can never be denied. Drug use perpetuates criminal activities that lead a person’s way to prison. Studies suggest that people who take heroin and crack are prone to do criminal activities as compared to people who use lighter drugs. However, the dilemma is that people who become drug addicts do not leave drug use even in prisons and continue taking drugs either in prisons or after the period of imprisonment. Most of the prisoners are in such physical and mental health condition that they do not seem to be ready for leaving the use of illegal drugs. For these prisoners, authorities need to use step-based drug treatment strategies which should first prepare them mentally to leave the habit of taking drugs and then they should start medical and psychological forms of treatments. Prisons all over the world contain large percentages of drug addict prisoners. Imprisonment cannot be used as the only way to keep addicts away from taking illegal drugs. The reason is that addiction of any type needs either clinical or non-clinical treatment. Isolation is not a substitute of effective treatment strategies that focus the behaviors and characteristics of people that lead them towards crimes and illegal drug use. Therefore, there should be effective drug treatment strategies that authorities can use to make prisoners keep away from the use of illegal drugs both in and out of the prisons. In this paper, we will discuss some of the most effective strategies that can be useful in reducing drug use among prisoners. We will also discuss the effects of those strategies on prisoners to know the extent to which they are effective in reducing the element of drug use from the lives of prisoners when they come out of prisons and carry on with routine life activities. 2. Some Main Properties of Drugs Although there are many types of drugs that people take either to come out of depression or because of addiction, but there are four main categories of drugs according to pharmacological properties of drugs. The first category of drugs includes those drugs that serve as depressants for the central nervous system. Some of the main drugs included in this category include tranquilizers, gases, and solvents. People take these drugs to feel relaxed and to come out from the state of depression. However, the reaction of these drugs is temporary and people have to take these drugs regularly to come out of stress and depression for a short time. The second category of drugs includes those drugs that reduce the level of pain of body pain for a short period. Some of the main drugs included in this category include narcotic analgesics, methadone, opiates, and heroin. Heroin is one of those drugs that make a large number of people come to prisons because this drug perpetuates criminal behaviors in a person. The third category of drugs includes those drugs that are known as stimulants of the central nervous system. Some of the main drugs included in this category include amphetamines, caffeine, cocaine, and tobacco. The last major category of drugs is known as Hallucinogens, which include magic mushrooms, LSD, and cannabis. All of these categories of drugs have their representation in prisons in one way or other. Let us discuss some of the most effective drug treatment programs that can be used to keep prisoners keep away from drug use both in and out of the prisons. 3. Drug Treatment Programs for prisoners Some of the main drug treatment strategies that can be used to help prisoners leave the habit of taking illegal drugs include detoxification, rehabilitation services, cognitive behavioral treatment, CARATS, and behavioral therapies. Moreover, some strategies that prison officials can use to stop drug use in prisons include reducing the supply of drugs in prisons, National Offender Management Service Drug Strategy 2008-2011, and drug tests of prisoners. All of these strategies have been found to be successful in reducing drug use both in and out of the prisons. Let us discuss each of these strategies in detail, as well as their effectiveness in accomplishing the cause of drug use reduction. 3.1 Detoxification A number of people who come to prisons because of taking illegal drugs are addicted to more than one illegal substance. As Tobey (2006, p. 1) states, “All drugs have some amount of toxicity, including caffeine, sugar, nicotine, alcohol, milk products, over-the-counter drugs like aspirin and recreational drugs like cocaine”. This statement shows that all drugs, whether they are from Hallucinogens, stimulants of the central nervous system, or from any other category, have some amount of toxicity in them. However, many illegal substances contain physiological and physical addictive potential that show that people can get rid of the toxicity level when they stop consuming those substances. “Most of these drugs have physical and physiological addictive potential showing withdrawal symptoms when consumption is stopped” (Tobey 2006, p 1). In criminal settings, prison officials can use the process of detoxification to help prisoners get rid of the habit of taking illegal drugs. Detoxification is a process that makes the body clean and free of any harmful toxins. Use of detoxification method for drug treatment has a number of benefits for drug users, as well as for prison officials. According to Roberts (2012), “Some of the benefits of completing a drug addiction detox program though are that they are quicker to complete and more obviously less expensive in the short term”. Detoxification is considered the first main step in the process of recovery from the habit of illegal drug use (Tobey 2006). However, prison officers need to use some other drug treatment method in combination with drug detoxification in order to make prisoners keep themselves away from drugs for their whole lives. Prisoners, who clean their bodies using detoxification, need some form of behavioral therapy in order to avoid taking drugs again. When a person become addict to some type of drug, the body of the person becomes accustomed to the use of that drug and needs a particular amount of dose daily to meet the requirement. Drug detoxification is that process that ends this requirement of human body by removing the toxins from the body. Drug detoxification makes human body work in a normal way. This process works in three stages, which include medical detox, physical detox, and emotional detox. In the first stage, the doctor assesses the condition of the body and provides suitable medication that helps the body in detoxification. In the second stage, a nutritionist examines the physical health of the person to recommends a suitable plan of diet. In the third stage, a psychotherapist starts counseling sessions with the prisoners who recover their bodies from drug addiction. Prior researches show that this process has proved to be very effective for prisoners as they get rid of their habit of drug addiction. 3.2 Rehabilitation Programs Another way to keep prisoners away from the use of illegal drugs and substances is to introduce rehabilitation programs in which drug users should be provided with therapeutic care and counseling services to make them leave the habit of taking illegal drugs. It is the responsibility of prison officials to arrange both clinical and therapeutic programs for prisoners. Rehabilitation programs improve mental health of prisoners and make them come back to normal and drug-free life. Rehabilitation also results in a marked reduction in relapse, recidivism, criminality, and physical and mental illness (Aaronson 2012). They should divide prisoners into two categories to arrange rehabilitation programs. In the first category, they should put those prisoners who are habitual drug users and have come in the prisons for the second time due to some crime which they have committed after taking some illegal substance. This category should also include drug traffickers who are imprisoned because of their involvement in spreading drugs in society. The duration of programs for habitual drug users should be 12 months in which four months should be allocated for medical treatment, next four months should be for therapeutic care, and the last four months should be dedicated for rehabilitation in which counseling services should be provided to them. Moreover, they should be provided with religious teachings in this period to make their minds and souls fresh. In the second category, they should put those prisoners who are not habitual drug users and have been imprisoned for the first time as the result of committing some minor crime. Prison officers should identify whether they have been taking drugs or not. They can use drug tests to know the level of toxicity in their bodies. If they find some signs of toxicity in their bodies, they should out then in the second category and should arrange rehabilitation programs of four months for them. in those four months, two months should allocated for detoxification and medical treatment, whereas next two months should be reserved for rehabilitation in which psychologists should work with them to provide psychological treatment to them. Researches show that this process has proved to be very effective for prisoners who are habitual drug users and have been imprisoned for more than once in their lives. These kinds of programs not only improve mental and physical health of prisoners but also make them able to improve their lives through employment and improved relationships. The implementation of rehabilitation programs create a healthy environment that results in increasing positive behavior, interpersonal relationships with their family members, employment opportunities, inmate education, and overall wellbeing (Aaronson 2012). “Reoffending of alcohol and drug related offenders is contingent upon a number of factors including employment status and education” (Hunter 1999, p. 6). Therefore, rehabilitation should also include educational programs in which skill-based training and education should provided to prisoners in order to help them live their lives normally after getting out of the prisons. 3.3 CARATS Prison officers can also take help of CARAT workers to reduce drug use among prisoners. “CARAT prison drug services are designed to identify people in the prison system who misuse drugs and take them through the treatment process from start to finish” (Phoenix Futures 2011). CARAT workers are highly skilled professional who work with drug users to help them get rid of their habit of taking illegal drugs and substances. CARAT stands for five basic services, which include counseling, advice, referral, assessment, and throughcare (Ramsay, Bullock & Niven 2005). As Harman and Paylor (2005, p. 358) state, “The CARAT service is regarded as having a pivotal role with respect to the provision of throughcare for drug-using prisoners”. CARAT workers identify the prisoners who are habitual takers of illegal drugs, such as, cannabis, alcohol, amphetamines, and heroin. “CARAT service staff take responsibility for managing non-clinical treatment while the offender is in prison” (Jewkes 2007, p. 408). They act as a go-between between drug abusers and specialist/therapeutic care. They assess the behaviors of offenders, give advice about the harms associated with drugs, assess their behaviors, and refer them to specific drug services which they may need. For example, they refer some of the prisoners for medical treatment, some for therapeutic care, some behavioral therapies, and some for educational services. They assist prison officials in the development of packages on drug issues which officials can use for the treatment of drug users (Phoenix Futures 2007). They counsel prisoners, provide information to prisoners, and evaluate the needs of drug users considering their contractual obligations. They also refer some highly addict prisoners to drug treatment rehabilitation programs discussed above. 3.4 Reduce Demand and Supply of Drugs Another way to stop drug use in prisons is to reduce demand and supply of drugs to prisons. In third world countries, prisoners have easy access to drugs in many prisons. They have contacts inside and out side the prisons, which provide them with required drugs for money. Although these types of cases occur rarely in American and European prisons, but prison officials need to ensure reduction in drug cartels in order to stop drug supply. Researches show that presence of drugs in prisons makes drug treatment strategies ineffective. Presence of drugs in prisons also allows prisoners adopt violent behaviors during imprisonment and make them commit crimes again upon their release from prisons. 3.4.1 National Offender Management Service Drug Strategy 2008-2011 National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Drug Strategy has been specifically designed to reduce demand and supply of drugs in prisons, as well as to provide effective throughcare to prisoners to ensure provision of best treatment to them. NOMS provides delivery partners, service staff, service providers, and other stakeholders with an understanding of the way to address drug misuse and related crime (Community Justice Portal 2012). NOMS takes funds from the government to use it for drug reduction purposes. Researches show that drug use in prisons has been reduced by 63 percent from 1997 to 2009 due to increase in government funding for arranging drug treatment programs in prisons (Hanson 2009). NOMS reduces supply of drugs through applying effective security measures and introducing drug testing programs. This strategy is also targeted towards reducing the demand of drugs in prisons using targeted interventions for habitual drug users, as well as for those prisoners who have been imprisoned due to use of illegal drugs and committing violent crimes. Moreover, NOMS also ensure continuation of drug treatment even after release of prisoners from prisons. 3.5 12 Steps Program Prison officials can also use the 12- step programme to end the addiction of drug users. Although this technique has been designed for alcohol addicts, but its use in prisons for drug users is also effective for the cause. The central theme of these programs is to recognize that an addict is usually powerless to come out the habit of drug use. This technique mainly targets the will of a person to end using illegal drugs and substances. Once a person recognizes that he/she has become addict to any particular drug, this technique helps him/her beat the addiction in supported stages. The aim is to make addict people come back to their normal lives once they come out of prisons. 3.6 Therapeutic Communities Therapeutic community (TC) is one of the best ways of in-prison drug treatment. The staff workers who are responsible to look after drug addicts are former substance users who have already recovered successfully from the habit of taking illegal drugs. Therapeutic community refers to a drug-free environment where there is no violence and every person has the aim to help drug users leave the habit of using illegal drugs. The main aspect of therapeutic communities is that the staff is recovering or former addicts who are well aware of the mindset of drug addicts. As Inciardi, Martin, and Surratt (2000, p. 3) state, “the primary clinical staff of the TC are typically former substance abusers -- "recovering addicts" -- who themselves were rehabilitated in therapeutic communities”. They know how a person feels when he/she is not having an access to drugs and illegal substances. They use their knowledge and understanding of prisoners’ negative behaviors in dealing with them in the most effective manner. The primary goals of a therapeutic community are to help drug addicts change their negative behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. As Jewkes (2007, p. 730) states, “therapeutic communities work offenders to address the root causes of their criminal behaviour”. The community also consists of professional psychologists and therapists who use their knowledge of human behaviors to inject a sense of social responsibility in the minds of drug addicts. They use behavioral, cognitive, and emotional therapies to address individual needs of behavioral treatment. Psychologists use a number of techniques to carry out their treatments. Some of those techniques include transactional analysis, psychodrama, branch groups, and direct observations. 4. Conclusion Drug use in prisons has become a major issue all over the world. Prisoners use drugs while being in prisons as they have resources both inside and outside the prisons using which they get an access to illegal drugs. People who get imprisoned due to illegal use of drugs experience a number of problems in their lives, such as, unstable physical health, mental health issues, lack of social support, unemployment, and financial and literacy problems. The relationship between crimes and use of drugs can never be denied. In many cases, people who take illegal drugs commit crimes and other violent activities. Imprisonment cannot be used as the only way to keep drug addicts away from taking illegal drugs. Some of the main drug treatment strategies that can be used to help prisoners leave the habit of taking illegal drugs include cognitive behavioral treatment, rehabilitation services, detoxification, CARATS, and behavioral therapies. Moreover, reducing the supply of drugs in prisons, National Offender Management Service Drug Strategy 2008-2011, and drug tests of prisoners can also be used to keep prisons and society free of illegal drugs. All of these strategies have been found to be successful in reducing drug use both in and out of the prisons. 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