There has always been a problem with government’s legal approach to dealing with addiction. Far too many addicts and users – not dealers and suppliers – fill our country’s jails and prisons. The war on drugs has become, all too often, a war on drug users. In 1989, in an effort to deal with the enormous number of drug-addicted Americans in the nation’s court systems (by now estimated at 1.2 million), a new kind of court was created: the drug court. But are drug courts working?
The Case of Michael Pawlowski
Consider the case of Michael Pawlowski, a young New York City man who died last year. Michael had struggled with addiction for many years. In 2010, he was convicted of drunken driving and put into New York’s Drug Treatment Court program.
Once inside that program, Michael discovered he had given up all rights to determine his own medical care. In addition, he had given up his rights to confidentiality: anything he revealed to his physician was subject to be reported to the court and could be used to remand him to jail. Astonishingly, as his mother Elaine Pawlowski related to the Huffington Post, the court proceedings themselves often involved:
Demeaning treatment from prosecutors, who “berated and shamed” the defendants
Humiliating mockery even from spectators, who were allowed to jeer at the defendants’ loved ones when the families tried to help
Michael Pawlowski suffered not only from addiction but also from other mental illnesses, for which he was unable to seek help because of the court’s restrictions. He was thus held hostage by the drug court, his every action drawing their attention, always with the threat of new arrest hanging over his head.
Michael relapsed at his apartment on July 4, 2012. Overdosing, he could not go to the emergency room of his local hospital – only a block away – without breaking the terms of his probation and risking being sent to jail. So he died, alone and frightened, a victim of mental illness and drug addiction.
Don’t Wait for Drug Court to Order Your Loved One to Treatment
Sometimes, in spite of the best intentions, new ideas don’t work out the way they were planned. Drug courts need to re-emphasize their role in treatment, not punishment, and ensure that the path to recovery and medical care remains clear.
At Axis, we offer an intensive treatment program designed to offer the best in medical and psychotherapeutic treatment to those struggling with addiction. Call now for more information.