The Effects Of Substance Use Disorder On America s Prison...

Introduction For the better part of the 20th century, those convicted of crimes and sentenced to serve time in prison, who also have an addiction have been treated unfairly. Substance use disorder has been viewed as a disease for decades now, and despite this, this disease is not being treated in America’s prison systems properly. The recent sentencing of Cameron Douglas, son of legendary actor Michael Douglas, to four and one half years additionally in federal prison has brought this crucial injustice to light. Cameron was serving a five year sentence for various drug related charge and is an admitted addict of intravenous cocaine and heroin. Heroin was discovered in the cell he resided in, and in an unprecedented legal proceeding, Judge Richard Berman gave Cameron the longest sentence on record for a prisoner found to have drugs while incarcerated. Instead of receiving much needed treatment for his disorder, Cameron will spend nearly the same amount of time in prison as his original sentence called for. The Numbers Drug use and abuse is not a new problem for America’s prison system, and is one which speaks to the larger issue corrupting the judicial system as a whole. As of 2013, of those prisoners serving at least a year long sentence, 51 percent (98,200) of them were serving for drug offenses (Carson, 2014). To contrast the incarcerated with those on probation and parole, some 25 percent (977,662) of the 3.9 million people on probation were charged with drugShow MoreRelatedDetrimental Social Problems: Substance Abuse Essays1197 Words   |  5 PagesSubstance abuse is one of the most detrimental social problems found in all societies. It has been the leading cause for generational breakdowns of families and communities, and is probably the most controversial social problem when developing corrective solutions. 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