Providing offenders with substance abuse treatment services amounts to leniency in punishment. Offering the offender treatment services undercuts the punishment goals of a sentence. Treatment is a privilege that offenders do not warrant because of their involvement in crime. Because substance abuse treatment is a specialized service that addresses underlying behaviors, it can not be offered effectively in punishment environments. At a minimum, services offered in these environments will be compromised None of these myths holds up under scrutiny.
Treatment is hard.
The physiological and psychological consequences of substance abuse make it so. Dropout rates are high for those who seek treatment on their own, when they are confronted with what is required of them. Many offenders, given the option, choose to do time rather than work at the personal change that treatment demands. It is also important to note that treatment is not solely, or even primarily, a service for the benefit of offenders with substance use disorders. All suffer when treatment is unavailable, withheld, or poorly delivered.