Inmates to Leave Jail for Addiction Treatments at Maryland Rehab Centers
The state of Maryland is currently working on reducing prison populations by moving convicted drug offenders to rehab facilities that can help them overcome addiction. Senator Robert A. Zirkin says this move can save the state millions, since it costs about half as much to place inmates in Maryland rehab centers than it does to keep them in prison. Zirkin and other lawmakers want to use these savings for other effective crime-fighting programs that can help improve public safety throughout the state.
If you are currently fighting addiction to heroin, alcohol, or another substance, understand that you don’t have to overcome addiction by yourself. Call our confidential helpline at 888-414-2380 for help with finding rehab centers in Maryland that can guide you toward improved health and lifelong sobriety.
Maryland’s Plan to Help Drug Offenders
The availability of drugs in prison makes it difficult for addicts to recover.
At present, Maryland judges can order the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to evaluate an offender’s addiction status and recommend a proper course of treatment. While offenders are meant to be placed immediately in rehab following evaluation, sometimes long wait lists prevent addicts from receiving treatment right away. As a result, some inmates turn to abusing substances in prison, and lose their drive to become healthier and sober through addiction treatment.
However, Maryland’s new plan could shorten wait lists, and help inmates receive the treatment they need to successfully achieve sobriety without delay. One drug offender named Lakeith Lewis was two years into a 10-year prison sentence when a judge deemed the 26-year-old eligible for drug addiction treatment. Now that Lewis is nearly done completing his six-month residential rehab program, he feels that the state wasted money keeping him behind bars before sending him to rehab.
Lewis and other former inmates say drugs are widely available in prison, which is tempting for inmates who genuinely struggle with addiction, and who are waiting for beds to become available at rehab centers. Unfortunately, inmates who test positive for drugs or exhibit behavioral problems while behind bars can lose their spots in line for addiction treatment.
How Rehab Centers Can Help Maryland Drug Offenders
Individuals who suffer from addiction are more likely to engage in criminal behavior to support their addictions. But rehab centers can help drug offenders overcome addiction and learn how to live successful, meaningful lives following treatment. Not only do rehab centers help patients overcome drug dependency, but they teach how to cope in the real world without relying on substances.
Bryce Hudak, clinical director of a rehab center in Baltimore, says his facility offers residential inpatient programs that last between 6 and 12 months, and that 58% of his patients go on to experience long-lasting sobriety. Inpatient rehab helps lower the risk for relapse, since patients can focus on recovery without distractions or temptation from drugs and negative influencers.
Placing inmates into drug rehab centers not only helps improve the quality of life for struggling addicts, but can help save Maryland millions that can be applied toward improving public safety in communities across the state.
If you’re addicted to alcohol or drugs and need help treating your addiction, call our confidential helpline at 888-414-2380 for more information about Maryland rehab centers that can help. We’ll help you locate rehab centers in your area that specialize in treating your addiction so you can benefit from lifelong sobriety and improved health.
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