Essay: Substance Abuse Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is something that has been a topic for many years within the criminal justice system. It is a complex issue with ongoing debates about its effectiveness and ethical implications. Is it possible for an offender to be rehabilitated? This question lies at the heart of the ongoing discussion surrounding rehabilitation programs. The shift from the use of punishment as retribution to the focus on rehabilitation will be explained. This shift reflects a growing understanding of the complexities of criminal behavior and the potential for positive change. There are various opinions on whether rehabilitation works for offenders. Some believe it is a futile endeavor, while others see it as a crucial component of a just and effective criminal justice system. Some people believe that it cannot, some people believe it can and others believe that only rehabilitation is specialized towards the individual. This diversity of opinion highlights the need for careful consideration and evidence-based approaches to rehabilitation. As the issue arises in rehabilitation, more places are starting to have specialized rehabilitation for offenders. This trend reflects a growing recognition that one-size-fits-all approaches are insufficient. This research paper will discuss what specialized rehabilitation means, what the different type of offenders that requires specialized rehabilitation, what are some specialized rehabilitation, the focus of specialized rehabilitation with several distinct factors, and how specialized rehabilitation affects offenders. The paper will also explore the biblical perspective on rehabilitation, drawing on relevant scriptures to illuminate Christian views on this topic. Also, this paper will discuss the biblical point of view of specialized rehabilitation by using scriptures from the bible to guide the Christian views. This exploration will provide a unique and insightful perspective on the ethical and moral dimensions of rehabilitation.
References
Combs, K. E. (2023). How the United States can improve the prevention and treatment of substance abuse disorders.
Jason, L. A., Wiedbusch, E., Bobak, T. J., & Taullahu, D. (2020). Estimating the number of substance use disorder recovery homes in the United States. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 38(4), 506-514.
Ramadan, M., Alharbi, A., Ahmad, R. G., Alkhalaf, A., Alhusseini, N., Algarni, A. S., & Mohamed, I. S. (2024). Evaluation of substance use disorder readmission and length of hospital stay in a major rehabilitation center in the gulf States: a retrospective cohort study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 22(3), 1145-1160.
Utomo, S. F. P., Dewi, I. P., Seman, N., & Pratiwi, D. R. (2024). Holistic rehabilitation in action: A data-driven analysis of the impact on quality of life among individuals with psychoactive substance abuse. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 08980101241237903.
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Courts
Specialize rehabilitation in the court system is something that is the newest to the criminal justice systems. When an offender is in front of the judge, the lawyer can plead the case that the individual needs special rehabilitation. Over the past few years, Courts have developed different courts that utilize the offender’s individual needs. Some of the courts collaborate with probation and parole officers. Courts that were developed are Drug Court, Wellness/Mental Health Court, and Domestic Violence Courts. These individual courts are used to help offenders with their special needs by rehabilitation them through the court system instead of incarcerating them. The judge can order that the offenders must attend and complete the program or serve their time in prison. After three decades of a “war on drugs” in the United States, a time during which drug use became almost the norm among large segments of the population, and during which time the prison population increased more than threefold, a change in thinking about the “drug problem” in America is slowly coming about (Hennessy 2001). For instance, the Drug Court Program process starts during the sentencing. During the sentencing, the judge can make the condition for an offender to go into an intensive substance abuse program through the courts which can be possibly monitored by the drug court. The courts give the offender an assessment, which determines if the offender will be accepted into the program. The sentencing court makes a referral to the relevant Drug Court if the offender meets five ‘eligibility’ criteria: (1) sentenced to imprisonment with an unexpired non-parole period of 18 months to three years; (2) convicted of at least two offenses in the previous five years; (3) not convicted of specified offenses such as drug trafficking, sexual assault, and murder; (4) reside in the broader Sydney region; and (5) be over the age of 18 (Casey & Day 2014). The assessment is likely done before the judge makes the sentencing because, as a lawyer having an acceptation letter to attend the program means that the person has a spot. The requirements are just the same as Mental Health/Wellness Courts. The name Mental Health was changed to Wellness in some states. Mental health courts are specialist courts that apply the principles of therapeutic jurisprudence to provide a rehabilitative, rather than punitive, response to criminal behavior (Lim & Day 2016). The purpose of the Mental Health Court is to rehabilitate the individual through the court system instead of incarceration behind the idea that it can improvements in mental health and well-being and lead to a reduction in subsequent reoffending.
Biblical point of view
Galatians 3:28 states “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. This scripture states that there may be differences on earth for there are Jews, Greeks, males, and females but in the eyes of God, we are all the same. This is one of the many scriptures that show that though it was written, there are so many differences among us on Earth. With having a different everyone should be treated as a child of God even if they may not live by it. Another scripture that may pinpoint specialized rehabilitation is Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”. The scripture says that God may continue to provide us with the things that we pleasure and possessions in various forms, but God expects his people to look at the world for our self in what he wants for us. Questions such as: What God would accept from us? What will be acceptable to god? Is what we are doing or going to do in our life the purpose that God has for us? Not questioning God but questioning your self to see if you are condemned to the world. People get so caught up in serotyping when it comes to mental health, substance abuse, and offenders that they may feel that they cannot be rehabilitated. Everyone, even those who are not incarcerated or have been incarcerated has had some issue whether it was a phase or long-term. As a Christian, helping those in need is something that God put in his word. For there is a lot of scripture in the book of Proverbs. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy from Proverbs 31:8-9. Then Proverbs 28:27 states “Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses”. Giving to the poor such as offenders that need our help to rehabilitate them is better than turning a close eye and not helping them.
Conclusion
Offenders with co-occurring substance use problems and mental health problems, recently described by Lindqvist4 as triply troubled, may have specific treatment needs (Alm, Eriksson, Palmstierna, Kristiansson, Berman, & Gumpert 2011). Rehabilitation is something that has been a topic for many years within the criminal justice system. There are many opinions about rehabilitating offenders back into society. As the issue arises about rehabilitation, corrections, community corrections, and courts are starting to have specialized rehabilitation for offenders. Drug and alcohol use disorders are among the most prevalent mental disorders worldwide and rank high as a cause of disability burden in most regions of the world (Mellos, Paparigopoulos, Liappas, & Papadimitriou 2008). As a Christian, I believe God doesn’t see specialization rehabilitation any differently. The Golden Rule is to do unto others as you want them to do unto you. For some offenders, they are unaware that they have problems or issues that require some type of specialized rehabilitation. A disproportionate share of inmates has health, mental health, and substance abuse problems that greatly complicate their chances of employment(Gideon & Sung 2011). For offenders to enter back and remain law-abiding citizens in the communities, rehabilitation is imperative to help aid with the success rate and reduce recidivism. The ultimate goal of any rehabilitation approach is mainly to reduce recidivism.
References
Alm, C., Eriksson, Å., Palmstierna, T., Kristiansson, M., Berman, A. H., & Gumpert, C. H. (2011). Treatment patterns among offenders with mental health problems and substance use problems. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 38(4), 497-509. doi:10.1007/s11414-011-9237-z
Casey, S., & Day, A. (2014). Prison substance misuse programs and offender rehabilitation. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 21(3), 360-369. doi:10.1080/13218719.2013.818519
Chamberlain, A. W. (2012). Offender rehabilitation: Examining changes in inmate treatment characteristics, program participation, and institutional behavior. Justice Quarterly, 29(2), 183-228. doi:10.1080/07418825.2010.549833
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Gideon, L. & Sung, H.E. (2011) Rethinking corrections: Rehabilitation, reentry, and reintegration (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN: 9781412970198
Hennessy, J. J. (2001;2002;). Introduction: Drug courts in operation. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 33(4), 1-10. doi:10.1300/J076v33n04_01
Lim, L., & Day, A. (2016). Mental health diversion courts: A prospective study of reoffending and clinical outcomes of an Australian mental health court program. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 55(4), 254-270. doi:10.1080/10509674.2016.1159639
Mellos, E., Papadopoulos, T., Liappas, J., & Papadimitriou, G. (2008). Changing patterns of drug and alcohol abuse among patients seeking treatment in a drug-free outpatient addiction clinic over 10 years: Preliminary report. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 11, 240.
Merriam-Webster Since 1828. (2019). Retrieved from Merriam-Webster, Incorporated: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rehabilitation
NCDPS. (n.d.). DART – Cherry. Retrieved from North Carolina Department of Public Safety: https://www.ncdps.gov/adult-corrections/alcohol-chemical-dependency-programs/dart-cherry
Nelson, Thomas., Inc. The Woman’s Study Bible, Second Edition, Copyright 1995, 2006 New King James Version
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