The Need for Treatment in the Criminal Justice System

One of the principles of effective treatment of substance-abusing offenders is: "Develop commitment from jail administrators to support the substance abuse treatment program and provide adequate staff and technical resources." Although this sound elementary, a situation may arise that has a public image of commitment but a private reality of nonsupport.

You have been hired to be a consultant for revising the substance abuse treatment policies at the local prison. Search the for at least two peer reviewed journal articles pertaining to this issue.  Based on your module readings and these two research studies craft a memo to the prison warden explaining the need for criminal justice intervention and treatment within the correctional facility.  Be sure to cite relevant statistics to support your arguments. Your submission should address the following items:

• The relationship between substance abuse and crime.
• The goals of treatment of substance abuse disorders within the criminal justice system.
• The impact of lack of such treatment on offenders on the prospect of recidivism upon release.
• Provide a brief summary of the two research studies you reviewed to support your arguments.
• Quote relevant statistics to support your arguments.
• Utilize APA format to cite all scholarly sources you use in this document.

Your paper should be 2-3 pages long. Remember to include a cover page and reference page, and to support your arguments with information drawn from the online content, the textbook, and other credible, scholarly sources to substantiate the points you are making.  Apply APA standards to for writing and citations to your work.