Vera Institute of Justice

Overview

With unmanageable numbers of drug abusers facing criminal charges in our courts, we are increasingly inclined to send many addicts to treatment rather than jail. The practical and conceptual issues raised by such a policy are complex and require much discussion. This 1990 CASES briefing paper provides a framework for this discussion by:

1) addressing some of the treatment questions the literature presents;

2) outlining one framework for looking at the range of treatments available;

3) exploring the implications of attempting to match clients with appropriate treatments;

4) describing the treatment modalities available; 5) proposing a way of looking at stages of change; and

6) raising questions about the impact these issues have on the field of alternatives to incarceration.