NCJ Number
83153
Date Published
1974
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Belgian correctional institutions are encountering increasing numbers of inmates with drug problems and seeking treatment program models for dealing with them.
Abstract
Drug abuse in the society ranges from casual juvenile experimentation to serious addiction. Drug-related offenses that impact corrections are likewise divergent -- trafficking, property offenses with evident drug-relatedness, and offenses of varied seriousness without apparent relation to drugs until the offenders' addiction surfaces in prison. Existing penal sanctions are designed for deterrence rather than treatment, although a sentencing option has existed in Belgium since 1966, under which addicted offenders can be especially placed for psychological observation, detoxification, and possible treatment. In 1969, there were 44 male drug offenders in Belgian prisons, 20 of which were traffickers. By 1970, there were 55 inmates convicted of drug offenses, including 3 women and 31 persons under age 25. Accompanying trends with this group were longer sentences and increased drug use in prison. The psychiatric programming does not have the staff or resources for the individualized treatment required by most of these inmates. In comparison, the Netherlands had a larger contingent of imprisoned drug offenders (191), but a similar problem in establishing treatment programs under laws that mandate penal sanction. The paradox of involuntary psychological treatment is an important obstacle for programs in the correctional setting. Some possible treatment models include American programs at the Lexington Hospital in Kentucky, the California Rehabilitation Center Corona, Synanon, Day Top Village, and methadone treatment centers. Belgium must establish specialized centers where individualized treatment of drug addicted offenders is possible. Tabular data and 28 footnotes are given.