Introduction
This white paper is written against the backdrop of the ever-growing problem within the criminal justice system – the permeating and perplexing problems of addiction, alcoholism, and chemical dependency among inmates. These issues not only impede the rehabilitation process but also increase security concerns that, in turn, make it more difficult for prison personnel to execute their mandate effectively. As far as dealing with inmates with these conditions, this requires a multi-dimensional analysis and approach. This, therefore, requires the correctional personnel to be well-informed, knowledgeable, and skilled. This paper is meant to offer an educational foundation to help correctional officers conceptualize the origin and outcomes of substance abuse. It seeks to provide the correctional staff with a unique opportunity to foster a more empathetic and effective way of interacting with people in treatment through rehabilitation. To this end, the whitepaper is keen on establishing a culture of supporting staff to aid inmates in their recovery journey, thereby creating a safer and more rehabilitative environment. Now more than ever, the urgency to address addiction, alcoholism, and chemical dependency and their subsequent challenges in correctional facilities is paramount. Their prevalence affects the persons directly involved and has a domino effect on the broader social implications. To this end, this white paper is tailored to impart the necessary insight and strategies among correctional officers, which enable them to combat these challenges, thereby rendering the penal system more efficient in achieving its objectives of rehabilitation and security.
Genetic Predisposition
Genetic predisposition underscores a condition in which an individual has the inherited tendency to develop addiction based on their genetics. Several research studies researches consisting of twin and adoption elucidate robust evidence showing a vital genetic component in alcoholism and drug dependency risk. For instance, the seminal works of Hatoum et al. (2023) revealed that genetic liability underlying substance abuse disorders could potentially be passed into loci, which subsequently confers the risk of specific or general- substance addiction. These findings are vital to jail staff, as they highlight the need to approach addiction rehabilitation as more than a mere exhibit of a series of bad choices but an intricate mixture of biological factors to which some inmates may be sensitive; thus, the need for a tailored treatment and rehabilitation program.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors significantly modulate an individual’s vulnerability to addiction via a multi-pathway connection of the social-economic-cultural drivers of addictions. Environmental factors encompassing family relations, peer pressure, socioeconomic status, and the possibilities of use of the substances substantially heighten individuals’ susceptibility to addiction. Research further corroborates that there is a heightened risk of substance abuse among individuals who have experienced adverse childhood experiences like distraught family relations, traumatic childhood experiences, adverse socio-economic conditions as well as peer pressure (Grummitt et al., 2022). As such, correctional officers need to recognize the instrumental role of environmental factors, especially those influencing inmates’ childhood experiences, in implementing comprehensive rehabilitation programs to help them cope with addiction, acknowledging that external factors are key contributing factors to inmates’ chemical dependency.
Psychological Theories
The psychological theories underpinning addiction and chemical dependency point to learned behaviors and cognitive functions as the basis for substance addiction. The Cognitive-Behavioral Model perceives addiction as the consequence of unhealthy thinking patterns and drug use-stress or trauma management habits (McHugh et al., 2010). Furthermore, the Disease Model of addiction relies on compulsion and alteration of the brain chemistry, which sustain substance use over the adverse consequences (Nelson et al., 2017). These are cardinal to the jail staff because they underpin the treatment model that focuses on real therapy that can balance and complement behavioral interventions, which could address cognitive disorders and support the development of better coping mechanisms.
Socio-Cultural Theory
Incorporating a multidimensional approach to understanding the origins of substance abuse, the sociocultural theory serves another integral cross-section. The theory articulates that social norms, peer pressure, and even cultural backgrounds are critical components in determining individuals’ susceptibility to addiction risk. In retrospect, the sociocultural theory correlates relationships between community attitudes, advertising as well as socioeconomic status as compounding factors influencing addiction rates. In correctional settings, the recognition of sociocultural factors allows more inclusive rehabilitation practices where inmates are not just viewed as a result of individual choices but also as products of larger external causes. Therefore, their treatment shall be implemented by a more diverse and multifaceted approach considering each participant’s cultural and social background.
Prevailing School of Thought
In retrospect, psychological theories, especially the disease model, is the most prominently used conceptual framework for chemical dependencies. This model portrays addiction as a chronic, relapsing disease manifested as compulsive drug seeking and use, even after awareness of the harm. It is based on neurological data supporting the idea that drugs affect the brain’s reward system by rewiring its physiology, which causes psychophysiological changes (Nelson et al., 2017). Such perspective is essential in correctional facilities inmate rehabilitation; it is the cornerstone of the management of inmates with chemical dependencies leading to treatment and rehabilitation rather than punishment. Thus, approaching addiction and chemical dependency as a disease substantially leads to informed policies and interventions that correctional officers can adopt for efficient addiction treatment of affected persons.
Research Gaps and Way Forward
An exploration of the review about the origins of addictions and alcoholism, as well as chemical dependency, establishes a vast framework of research studies that exist, including laboratory research and social studies. On the one hand, in laboratory experiments, neurofocus and genetics have been instrumental in identifying biomarkers as well as brain patterns critical to understanding addictive behavior. On the other hand, social studies significantly illuminate the contextual and situational factors that explain substance abuse. Notwithstanding these advances, research in addictive behavior has often been riddled with inherent gaps, mainly methodology inconsistencies, underrepresentation of some populations, and insufficient longitudinal data, substantially inhibiting the ability to understand the confounding factors for addiction comprehensively (Badiani et al., 2018).
As such, the following recommendations are proposed to bridge these research gaps. Foremost, longitudinal studies in addictive behavior should construct designs that will enable them to follow the progress of the addiction over time to produce more conducive and more valuable results. Besides, there must be a focus on the diversification of public representation to improve the applicability of the results of studies. Such improvement in these areas of research has not only academic value but also may generate new approaches to support and manage inmates with addictions, thus improving rehabilitation outcomes and decreasing the rate of recidivism.
Conclusion
In sum, the above context elucidates the prevalence of addiction and chemical dependency within correctional facilities – an issue that the justice system has perennially grappled to address. Through this white paper, jail staff across correctional facilities are imparted with the knowledge, skills, and competencies vital in understanding the origins of addiction among inmates and, as such, tailoring effective rehabilitation programs. As seen, the origins of addiction, alcoholism, and chemical dependency among inmates can be best understood through genetic predispositions, environmental factors, psychological theories, and sociocultural theories. Conceptualizing addiction from these theoretical perspectives is quintessential in adopting effective tailored rehabilitation approaches. However, the existing research points to significant gaps, including methodology inconsistencies, inadequate longitudinal studies, and underrepresentation of some populations. Addressing these research gaps and approaching rehabilitation from the theoretical perspectives earlier posited holds enormous potential in ensuring effective addiction rehabilitation among inmates and subsequently reduces the rate of recidivism.
References
Badiani, A., Berridge, K. C., Heilig, M., Nutt, D. J., & Robinson, T. E. (2018). Addiction research and theory: a commentary on the Surgeon General’s Report on alcohol, drugs, and health. Addiction Biology, 23(1), 3-5. https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.12497
Grummitt, L., Barrett, E., Kelly, E., & Newton, N. (2022). An umbrella review of the links between adverse childhood experiences and substance misuse: what, why, and where do we go from here?. Substance abuse and rehabilitation, 83-100. https://orcid.org/0000- 0003-4466-7731
Hatoum, A. S., Colbert, S. M., Johnson, E. C., Huggett, S. B., Deak, J. D., Pathak, G. A., … & Agrawal, A. (2023). Multivariate genome-wide association meta-analysis of over 1 million subjects identifies loci underlying multiple substance use disorders. Nature Mental Health, 1(3), 210-223. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-023-00034-y
McHugh, R. K., Hearon, B. A., & Otto, M. W. (2010). Cognitive behavioral therapy for substance use disorders. Psychiatric Clinics, 33(3), 511-525. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.psc.2010.04.012
Nelson, J., Bundoc-Baronia, R., Comiskey, G., & McGovern, T. F. (2017). Facing addiction in America: The surgeon general’s report on alcohol, drugs, and health: A commentary. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 35(4), 445-454. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347324.2017.1361763
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