New NIDA report hoped to educate judges, criminal justice.(Treatment instead of incarceration)(National Institute on Drug Abuse)

Supporters of treatment instead of incarceration can take heart from a landmark scientific report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) that shows drug abusers in the criminal justice system can be treated successfully. The report, called the Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations, is expected to enable both worlds--treatment and criminal justice--help the client, said Redonna Chandler, Ph.D., branch chief for NIDA's services research branch.

The report's release was timed to coincide with the American Probation and Parole Association meeting in Chicago July 24, but it is aimed equally at probation, community treatment, and judges, said Chandler. "The principles are applicable whether you are a treatment provider in the community or a professional in the criminal justice system," she told ADAW. For example, treatment providers need to know what the supervision requirements are for criminal justice clients in their programs; likewise, probation officers and judges need to know the substance abuse and mental health needs of arrestees and offenders. "Probation isn't treatment, it's supervision," she said.

"When both …