Pubdate: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 Source: Chicago Tribune (IL) Copyright: 2006 Chicago Tribune Company Contact: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/82 Authors: Johnathon E. Briggs and Gary Washburn, Tribune Staff Writers Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) BETTER AID URGED FOR JAILED ADDICTS Pilot Program Trains Judges Who Order Drug Treatment In its first report focused on improving treatment for drug addicts in the criminal justice system, the National Institute on Drug Abuse released 13 research-based guidelines Monday that the agency contends can reduce crime and save money and lives. The criminal justice community must understand that drug addiction is a brain disease that affects behavior, requiring personalized treatment (including medications such as methadone) and ongoing care after incarceration, according to the government agency's report, "Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations." "This is an issue that affects every family in America," said Mayor Richard Daley, who appeared with agency director Nora Volkow and other officials at a news conference on the Near South Side. "It is on everyone's doorstep." Agency officials released the report in Chicago to highlight a pilot program that trains Cook County judges on the neuroscience of addiction and treatment. The agency's program should help judges place addicted defendants in appropriate treatment. Volkow said that the report summarizes findings from three decades of research. In a 2002 survey of the nation's jails, the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 52 percent of incarcerated women and 44 percent of men met the criteria for alcohol or drug dependence. Yet a 1997 bureau survey showed that fewer than 15 percent of incarcerated offenders with drug problems had received treatment in prison. The estimated cost to the U.S. for drug crimes is $107 billion annually. Court-ordered treatment can help, but long-term changes require treatment longer than 90 days, the report concludes. "This supports what we've been experiencing on a street level. We understand that incarceration [alone] does not heal addiction," said Rev. Patricia Watkins, executive director of the Target Area Development Corp., a faith-based non-profit in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman