District Attorney 8th Judicial District - Colorado的动态

Today I have 12 years clean from drugs and alcohol. My sobriety has been dethroned by my son (vid attached) and is now the second best thing that has ever happened to me. Usually I take my “how’d ya do it?” AA traditional speech and post it here, but I’m going to do something different this year. I’m going to reveal my true mission. An estimated 2 million Americans are in prison or jail right now. At least one in five of them are locked up for a drug offense, meaning they could be just like me. A much larger number are locked up for non-drug offenses that were caused by addiction. In addition to incarceration, I’ve also been homeless. Just my own experience here, but I don’t think I’ve met a single homeless person who didn’t suffer from addiction. (But please do your own research by getting to know a homeless person, maybe by buying them a meal if you can do so.) In any group, society, or country, the minority ~20% are preyed upon by the majority ~80%. You’ll see this manifest everywhere once you start paying attention to it. Here in America, our drug policies, incentive-based policing, and for-profit/taxpayer-funded prisons keep our bottom 20% as low as dirt. In fact, within 2 years of release from jail or prison, 68% of prisoners find themselves incarcerated again. The only thing I want people to take away is that addiction is a disease, not a choice—meaning if you and I both shot up today, I’d wouldn’t be able to stop myself from shooting up tomorrow. My thoughts and priorities would simply become functionally illogical, reality a little more bent, whereas your worldview would persevere. Please think about this when you think about how we treat addicts and alcoholics. And more importantly, when you see someone visibly struggling with addiction, understand that they’re still just as miraculous as you are. Anyways, I’m so grateful to be here today. I wonder if I even deserve it. Please forgive me for posting about such an uncomfortable topic. It is my karmic duty to spread the message as far as I possibly can. Time to go hug my son. ??

The recent release of a client from a detention facility has brought to light a concerning issue within the treatment center landscape in Charlotte. This individual, who had been arrested for a substance use-related crime, successfully achieved sobriety while incarcerated. However, upon her release, she faced significant barriers in accessing treatment. One sober living facility could not accommodate her until the following day, while another refused entry without prior completion of a treatment program. Most alarmingly, a 30-day treatment program denied her admission due to the absence of drugs in her system. This policy is both unacceptable and counterintuitive. If an individual has recognized their need for help and is actively seeking treatment, it is imperative that they receive the support they need regardless of their current drug use status. Forcing someone to relapse in order to qualify for treatment is unethical and potentially life-threatening. The fact that this client had achieved sobriety in a structured environment, such as a detention facility, demonstrates her commitment to recovery. It is crucial that treatment centers recognize and support individuals who are actively working towards change. The policy of denying admission based on drug use status perpetuates the stigma associated with substance abuse and creates a barrier for those who are seeking help. Treatment centers should instead focus on providing a safe and supportive environment where individuals can receive the necessary care and guidance to address their addiction. It is time for treatment centers in Charlotte to re-evaluate their policies and prioritize the well-being of those they serve. By removing barriers to entry and embracing a harm reduction approach, these facilities can play a vital role in supporting individuals on their recovery journeys. The client's experience highlights the urgent need for systemic changes within the treatment system. It is essential that policies and practices are reviewed and revised to ensure that individuals seeking help are met with compassion, support, and access to the services they need.

The statement below highlights a critical issue in addressing substance use disorders among incarcerated individuals. The belief that merely stopping drug use during incarceration is an effective treatment is indeed flawed and can lead to dangerous outcomes upon release. Accoring to the conventional approach there are several evidence-based strategies that can be deployed to address this issue effectively: 1. Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): MAT combines medications like methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders. Studies have shown that MAT can significantly reduce the risk of relapse and overdose post-release. 2. Comprehensive Continuum of Care: Implementing a continuum of care that begins during incarceration and continues after release is crucial. This includes access to treatment programs, support groups, and healthcare services both inside the facility and in the community. 3. Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND): Providing education on overdose prevention and distributing naloxone aka an opioid overdose reversal drug to individuals upon release can save lives. Training them and their families on how to use naloxone can also be beneficial. 4. Mental-Emotional Health Support: Many individuals with substance use disorders also have co-occurring mental-emotional health conditions. Ensuring access to mental-emotional health services, both during incarceration and after release, is essential for comprehensive care. 5. Peer Support Programs: Peer support programs, where individuals in recovery support those newly released, can provide valuable encouragement and practical advice for navigating recovery and reentry into the community. 6. Employment and Housing Assistance: Stable employment and housing are critical factors in reducing relapse rates. Programs that assist with job training, job placement, and securing stable housing can provide the stability needed for successful recovery. 7. Family and Community Support: Engaging families and communities in the recovery process can provide a strong support network. Family therapy and community-based support services can help individuals reintegrate successfully. 8. Policy Changes and Advocacy: Advocating for policies that support treatment over incarceration for substance use disorders, such as drug courts and diversion programs, can help shift the focus from punishment to rehabilitation. 9. Research and Continuous Improvement: Ongoing research into effective treatment strategies and continuous improvement of existing programs based on data and feedback is essential to adapt to changing circumstances and improve outcomes. To close, by implementing these conventional strategies, one can create a more effective and humane approach to treating substance use disorders among incarcerated individuals, reducing the risk of relapse&overdose, and supporting long-term recovery and reintegration into society.

Addiction treatment works, everyone deserves access to it if they so choose, including those in jail. Often in our industry we speak less of prison reform, but reform while incarcerated is directly tied outside success. Effective treatments like methadone and buprenorphine saves lives, reduce overdose deaths, and improve public safety. These life-saving medications are under utilized in the criminal justice system. Only 5% of jails and prisons offer MAT, despite studies showing that providing them can reduce overdose deaths by 60%. Expanding access to these treatments for incarcerated individuals is a critical piece for breaking the cycle of addiction, supporting recovery, and enhancing community health. (https://lnkd.in/ePZmYNf3).

Ill tell you what I want to do get the rehabilitation centre up and running, and have a good team in their delivering training and managing, as I said its not for me, its to help people, I would like to work in the CJS, and I wont touch a penny, that Bail Trust generates, unless I am working within the company of course I will need to take a wage from somewhere, it will be regulated anyway as it will be registering with the charity's commission, all that comes in to Bail Trust, stays in Bail Trust, its not a LTD company, I care not for capitalism, this is not a profit business, this is a helping people business, I don't want to work in the current prison system, the current prison system would only frustrate me, but I would work in an estate only in a position that was sorting out the mess they are in ! See that's the very problem with society everything and everyone is about money, when I was researching ESFA and one of the responses was telling me how many training providers there are, yes, but none of them are set up and ran or owned by me are they are they set up by an ex offender, the reality of that label what ever way you look at it, I am an ex offender, I was a car breaker, a mountain bike theif and a shop breaker for substances for many many years, but very different to an actual criminal and a lot of people won't understand that, a criminal has his or her goals set high and his or her only reason for being is earning money and lots of it, staying under the radar and not getting caught, I was a crack addict drug offender every single penny went on crack cocaine addiction 24/7, didn't ever buy anything but substances, didn't care about getting caught and at the final stages of my offending, serving life in prison was more attractive than a being on the streets as a substance offender , can you understand the difference, but I see through the BS, wool can not be pulled over my eyes ?? That's the difference the prison system especially the London estates in my experience the staff have more or less that same criminality in their thinking, my persona at the time was just that of a lost soul a person who hated his life and only ever wanted to change, as a child offender I have been in most youth courts in London, then most magistrates, as a child and in my teens I remember standing in Highbury youth court m, Bow youth, Redbridge youth court, and all the same youths I was in Feltham with, every single one of them right now are ether dead in prison or still offending, By setting up my rehabilitation services hopefully I can reach the youths and prevent all that what I went through losing nearly my complete teens and 20's half my 30's and well, think about the years of trauma, there is alot less damage to a person's mind body and soul while they are young and a lot less loss to deal with. one thing an education consultant just said to me and that was about training those with offences like murder, I'm cool with that.

Judging from this chart, there were perhaps 25,000 drugs deaths annually when Nora Volkow became head of the the NIDA in 2003. (There were under 20,000 in 1999, while the Leshner-Volkow drug addiction is a disease-that-can-be-treated model was coming into full swing.) There are currently about 110,000 deaths annually. https://lnkd.in/gza9JR9s Has there been less treatment since 1999-2003? Buprenorphine-Suboxone weren’t in use at the time. They are currently widespread commercially with a minimum of restrictions. Is there something about our drug addiction and death epidemics that is exceeding our ability to treat them? Something about the addiction to and death from drugs seems to be infiltrating America (more so than in Europe). Is this reversible by treatment?

Headway's recent article on the intersection of brain injury, domestic abuse, and female incarceration raises critical and urgent issues that demand our immediate attention. The piece highlights a troubling and often overlooked connection between these elements. Brain injuries resulting from domestic violence frequently go undiagnosed and untreated. Such injuries can cause significant cognitive, emotional, and behavioral challenges. Survivors may experience memory loss, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, and impulsive behavior, all of which can be misinterpreted by law enforcement and judicial systems as signs of criminality rather than symptoms of a brain injury. Women suffering from brain injuries due to domestic abuse are often caught in a vicious cycle. These unrecognized injuries can lead to behaviors that increase their risk of incarceration. Once within the criminal justice system, these women frequently do not receive the necessary medical and psychological care, exacerbating their conditions and increasing the likelihood of reoffending. Systematic change is essential. Implementing routine screening for brain injuries in domestic violence shelters, healthcare settings, and during legal proceedings is crucial. Early diagnosis can lead to timely and appropriate interventions, thereby reducing the risk of incarceration. Providing targeted support services, including cognitive rehabilitation, mental health counseling, and legal advocacy, can help survivors recover and reintegrate into society. Furthermore, educating law enforcement, healthcare providers, and legal professionals about the signs and impacts of brain injuries can lead to more informed and compassionate responses. Such training helps professionals differentiate between symptoms of brain injury and criminal behavior. Headway's article serves as a powerful reminder of the need for awareness and action. As advocates, we must work together to raise awareness, improve support services, and push for policy changes that protect and empower survivors of domestic violence and brain injury. By addressing these issues comprehensively, we can break the cycle of abuse and incarceration, creating a more just and compassionate society. #BrainInjuryAwareness #DomesticViolenceAwareness #WomeninPrison #BrainInjury #BreakTheCycle #JusticeReform #SupportSurvivors #HeadwayUK #TheSupportedLivingGroup

Challenging the Narrative on Drug Criminalization In today’s society, the approach to drug-related offenses raises profound questions about our justice system and public health strategies. The pervasive criminality associated with drugs often overshadows a crucial truth: addiction is a health issue, not simply a criminal one. Current practices, such as roadside drug tests administered by police, do not reliably measure impairment. Instead, these tests contribute to a cycle of traffic charges that criminalize individuals struggling with substance use rather than addressing the root causes of their issues. The implication is clear: our law enforcement often leans towards incarceration rather than rehabilitation, believing that locking someone up is a solution. Yet, we know that prison doesn't effectively resolve addiction. The reality is that the private prison system profits from this cycle, creating a financial incentive to perpetuate incarceration rather than fostering recovery and rehabilitation. This approach overlooks the human aspect of addiction and fails to provide the necessary support to help individuals reclaim their lives. It’s time to shift our focus from punitive measures to compassionate, evidence-based treatment solutions. Acknowledging that addiction is a health issue opens the door to more effective strategies—ones that prioritize rehabilitation over incarceration. Let’s advocate for a justice system that addresses the complexities of addiction with understanding and support rather than criminalization. Together, we can push for policies that recognize the humanity of those affected by drug use and invest in a system that truly promotes healing and recovery. #CriminalJustice #PublicHealth #AddictionRecovery #RehabilitationOverIncarceration #SocialJustice

STAT #9July2024 : #Everyone #deserves #addiction #treatment #that #works — #including #those #in #jail By #Nora #D. #Volkow and #Tisha #Wiley "The Food and Drug Administration [#FDA] #has #approved #three #medications #for #opioid #use #disorder: ?#methadone, ?#buprenorphin/[#naloxone], ?#and #naltrexone. All three are effective, safe, and lifesaving. But they are #woefully #underused, #particularly #in #criminal #justice #settings." "It remains a #common #belief that simply stopping someone from taking drugs while in jail or prison is an effective approach to treatment. But #that #belief #is #inaccurate and #dangerous. As scientists, we look to research to guide us. And when research shows strategies with clear benefits, they should be deployed." Richard J. Baum