Reforming Drug Treatment Services to Offenders: Cross-System Collaboration, Integrated Policies, and a Seamless Continuum of Care Model

ABSTRACT

For the past 2 decades the U.S. “war on drugs” has contributed to soaring incarceration rates, prison overcrowding, and overly harsh and race-based sentencing. This article calls for reform of drug treatment services for drug-addicted offenders. This article introduces an integrated model for delivering drug treatment services by improving cross-system collaboration along a seamless continuum of care. We offer practical principles and policies for improving drug treatment services across criminal justice and drug treatment agency boundaries. Reforming drug treatment services for offenders may reduce illicit drug use in the United States because the majority of heavy drug users are involved in the criminal justice system.

Keywords:

• Drug treatment
• drug use
• incarceration
• continuum of care
• criminal justice
• cross-system collaboration