From coercion to cohesion – Treating drug dependence through health care, not punishment

Drug treatment as an alternative to criminal justice sanctions – a public health approach as supported by the drug control conventions
  • Flexibilities in the UN drug conventions
  • Alternatives to punishment

The conventions encourage the adoption of a health-oriented approach to both illicit drug use and drug dependence rather than relying solely upon a sanction-oriented approach.
  • Flexibilities in the UN drug conventions
  • Alternatives to punishment

Following the provisions of the international drug control Conventions, treatment, rehabilitation, social reintegration and aftercare should be considered as an alternative to criminal justice sanctions. People suffering from substance use disorders who have committed drug-related offences may be encouraged to enter treatment as an alternative to criminal justice sanctions.
  • Flexibilities in the UN drug conventions
  • Alternatives to punishment

This type of intervention which uses the coercive power of the criminal justice system, does not necessarily mean that treatment is compulsory or that it involves the deprivation of liberty of an individual: individuals still have a choice between accepting treatment, or facing imprisonment or other administrative sanctions.
  • Flexibilities in the UN drug conventions
  • Alternatives to punishment

The Scientific Case for Treatment as an Alternative to Criminal Justice Sanctions
  • Alternatives to punishment

Drug dependence is a health disorder (a disease) that arises from the exposure to drugs in persons with these pre-existing psycho-biological vulnerabilities. Such an understanding of drug dependence, suggests that punishment is not the appropriate response to persons who are dependent on drugs.
  • Alternatives to punishment

In fact, incarceration in prison and confinement in compulsory drug treatment centres often worsens the already problematic lives of drug users and drug dependent individuals, particularly the youngest and most vulnerable.
  • Alternatives to punishment

Alternatives to incarceration within the community (outpatient or residential therapeutic setting), such as psychosocially supported pharmacological treatment for opiate dependence, can be more effective than imprisonment in reducing drug related offences.
  • Alternatives to punishment

There is considerable evidence that effective drug dependence treatment offering clinical interventions (inpatient or outpatient) as an alternative to criminal justice sanctions substantially increases recovery, including a reduction in crime and criminal justice costs.
  • Alternatives to punishment

Criminal justice system treatment referrals: Alternatives to imprisonment for drug users and drug dependent persons
  • Flexibilities in the UN drug conventions
  • Alternatives to punishment

While the non-medical use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is prohibited under the drug control Conventions, the severity of the punishment varies considerably between countries
  • Flexibilities in the UN drug conventions
  • Alternatives to punishment

(…) Those countries that impose more severe penalties for personal possession and use have a larger number of drug users in prison, at a significant cost to the community. This approach does not appear to have a deterrent effect on drug use in the community, when compared to countries without severe sanctions for personal possession and use.
  • Alternatives to punishment

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