Brief Description
Drug abuse is implicated in at least three types of drug-related offenses: (1) offenses defined by drug possession or sales, (2) offenses directly related to drug abuse (e.g., stealing to get money for drugs), and (3) offenses related to a lifestyle that predisposes the drug abuser to engage in illegal activity, for example, through association with other offenders or with illicit markets. Individuals who use illicit drugs are more likely to commit crimes, and it is common for many offenses, including violent crimes, to be committed by individuals who had used drugs or alcohol prior to committing the crime, or who were using at the time of the offense.
Featured Publications
Related Resources
- Treating Drug Addiction: What Families and Offenders Need to Know
- Photos from press event for release of Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations publication
- An Examination of Drug Treatment Programs Needed to Ensure Successful Re-entry (Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, Committee on the Judiciary, United States House of Representatives)
- TASC, Inc., of Illinois (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities) - Provides behavioral health recovery management services for individuals with substance abuse and mental health disorders.
- National TASC - Programs and other behavioral health, recovery and reentry oriented groups that seeks to advance the cause of offender reentry and individual case management on the National level
- Criminal Justice-Drug Abuse Treatment Studies (CJ-DATS) - a NIDA partnership with federal agencies, researchers, criminal justice professionals, and drug abuse treatment practitioners to learn how to best provide treatment for drug abusing offenders
Featured Publication
Drugs, Brains, and Behavior - The Science of Addiction
As a result of scientific research, we know that addiction is a disease that affects both brain and behavior.