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Addicted Behind Bars
Many of those incarcerated for drug-related offenses have a sub-
stance abuse problem. A Bureau of Justice Statistics report re-
leased in 2017 states that 21 percent of people in state prisons
and local jails are incarcerated because they committed crimes
to support a drug habit. While some of these inmates are in jail for
drug crimes like possession or traffi cking, others are in prison for
other types of crimes. Almost 40 percent of inmates
serving time for property crimes and 14 percent
of those incarcerated for violent crimes report
that they committed their most serious of- “We know for a vast
fense for drug-related reasons. These in- majority of them, if it was
not for their addiction,
clude committing a violent offense while they wouldn’t be in our
under the infl uence of drugs and commit- facility.” 5
ting a crime to get money to pay for drugs. — Chris Pirolli, the director of
Also, the report found that more than half corrections in Bucks County,
Pennsylvania
of state prison inmates and two-thirds of the
sentenced jail population report that they have a
drug dependence or abuse problem, as compared

to 5 percent of the general adult population. Also, almost 40 per-
cent of inmates in state prisons and jails report that they were using
drugs at the time they committed the offense for which they were
incarcerated. “We know for a vast majority of them, if it was not for
their addiction, they wouldn’t be in our facility,” says Chris Pirolli,
5
the director of corrections in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Outcomes Vary
One of the goals of sending people to prison for any type of crime,
including drug crimes, is to deter future crime and provide them
with rehabilitation services to help them become law-abiding citi-
zens upon their release. However, for inmates serving time for
drug crimes who are also struggling with addiction, the outcomes
vary. Some are able to turn their lives around, while others con-
tinue to cycle in and out of prison.

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