Public health is a field commonly confronted with the prospect of epidemics and in many cases, it must mobilize to face them. As I write the world is confronted by an outbreak of disease unparalleled by any in my lifetime and yet, even still, there are many problems which wait in line to be resolved after the all-consuming fire of COVID-19 is put out. Of these additional, immense problems is the cycle of recidivism and substance abuse that exists within the United States. In this short article, we will outline the problem created by the cyclic nature of substance abuse and interactions with the justice system. We will then discuss one step to potentially mitigate this issue by creating a more compassionate system oriented more towards helping people with substance abuse issues. The article will then conclude with a succinct discussion of the pros and cons of this approach to addressing this substantial issue with a program such as LEAD.
Almost half of the nonviolent offenders presently incarcerated in the US are confined due to drug charges (Collins, 2019). This population of incarcerated people is presently constituted by 2.3 million human beings, and that number continues to climb. Over incarceration represents a major dysfunction in American society and in the criminal justice system. There have been sporadic efforts to reduce the number of nonviolent drug offenders within the prison population, however, these have ultimately not been able to remedy the problem on their own. These courts are specialized in handling drug-related cases and offer a suite of programs that ultimately end in the dismissal of charges in exchange for a waiver of one’s right to trial. Though it has been shown that drug courts are more effective than nothing, their reductions in recidivism have not been enough to stop the overwhelming tide of over-incarceration. Ultimately, the interventions which come once a case gets to the courtroom will come too late for many people. At that point, the problem is already rooted and the addiction will be harder to dispel. Further, when there is already an established case, the person’s life who is struggling with addiction is only going to get harder and the potential for them to end up in prison increases substantially. It then becomes necessary to have some manner of intervention before the problem progresses to the point of contact with the justice system and the filing of charges.
The LEAD program, initiated in the state of Washington, is an attempt at a different approach to the prevention of crime and the handling of individual cases of substance abuse. This diversion program is a pre-booking, or pre-arrest, approach to the issue leaving it up to the attending officer to make a determination on whether or not the alleged perpetrator of a crime should be brought in (Law, n.d.). This effectively means that people suspected of low-level offenses such as drug possession or prostitution would, instead of being arrested, be diverted towards different services oriented towards helping them overcome their addictions and stop committing crimes. This method was shown to have statistically significant effects on the amount of recidivism occurring within its test population (Law, n.d.). Compared with a control group, LEAD program participants were shown to be 56% less likely to be rearrested (Law, n.d.). This represents a substantial decrease in recidivism and a likelihood to show better outcomes for people afflicted with drug addiction.
This program is no silver bullet to mass incarceration, unfortunately, though it does seem to help. The idea of giving police officers another option to help people kick their substance abuse habits seem to have a good amount of merit to them. Though, where it is the case that police departments do not have all that wonderful relations with communities, there seems to be a potential barrier to this program working everywhere across the United States. Further, when one analyzes the entirety of the US prison population, it can be seen that, while non-violent drug offenders do represent a substantial number of inmates currently confined, reducing their population within prisons and jails will not solve mass incarceration (Sawyer, 2020). This is why LEAD programs should be accompanied by additional strategies in order to best address the central issues of America’s prison problem. All in all, however, it seems that LEAD has had some promising preliminary results in helping people have better outcomes while improving the function of society. Though it is likely necessary for more testing on this particular approach to be performed, it appears to be a potential aide in combating a very multifarious and severe issue impacting the lives of many people. As this issue shows, it is important to become informed as to the problems which the United States and its constituent communities face in order to better advocate for positive change to help people live the best lives possible. Hopefully, this short article sparks some of your interest in learning more about the problem of mass incarceration and how you may be able to help solve it.
References
Collins, S. E., Lonczak, H. S., & Clifasefi, S. L. (2019). Seattle’s law enforcement assisted diversion (LEAD): program effects on criminal justice and legal system utilization and costs. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 15(2), 201–211. doi: 10.1007/s11292-019-09352-7 http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/1185392/26401889/1437170937787/June+2015+LEAD-Program-Evaluation-Criminal-Justice-and-Legal-System-Utilization-and-Associated-Costs.pdf
Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Program (Seattle, Washington). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.crimesolutions.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?ID=477
Sawyer, W., & Wagner, P. (n.d.). Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2020. Retrieved from https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2020.html