Prisoners Need Better Access to Rehab

According to several studies released in recent years, those who are currently jailed in the UK and abroad need better rehabilitation treatment. The most recent example is New Zealand, where the National Committee for Addiction Treatment recently released data on problems at the Mt Eden Correctional Facility. Inmates indicated that drugs and alcohol played a significant role in their incarceration. Historically, inmates in the UK have had similar problems.

For inmates who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, treatment is essential. In many—if not most—correctional facilities, inmates have a strong chance of being able to purchase the drug of their choice while in prison. It’s tough for prison services to make a penal estate drug accessible. Many inmates are addicts, and many others have access to black market supply lines, ensuring that addictive substances will enter detention centres.

It is, however, worth noting that most prisons are essentially (if not entirely) alcohol-free. Smuggling relatively large bottles of alcohol into prison is almost impossible, and brewing it on-site leads to unmistakable odours that prison wardens will most likely detect. However, illicit drugs can still find their way into prisons. Interestingly, a study in December 2014 found that prisons in the UK could not deal with alcohol-related crimes. The UK’s leading addiction charity, Addiction and the Crime Association, surveyed a range of prisoners across England. They found that, while many prisoners did not drink in prison, most failed to connect their alcohol use and their offending behaviour.

If prisons can help rehabilitate problem drinkers while incarcerated, they may be able to curb future offences. This could ultimately cut down on future crime rates and reduce the prison burden.

Addiction Rehabilitation for Alcoholism

The Providence Project team welcomes anyone to our facilities. Our tailored rehabilitation programme can be the ideal way to heal from your long-term addiction and re-enter society with solid control over your cravings and compulsions.