THE WORD ON DRUGS: Locking Up Substance Users Won’t End Drug Addiction or Overdose Deaths

While more Americans are dying of drug overdose than ever before — with an estimated 108,000 fatalities over the past 12 months alone — there is another epidemic of addiction and death taking place largely out of sight in our prisons and jails. An estimated two-thirds of those entering such facilities have an active substance-use disorder and little chance of receiving effective treatment, according to the nonprofit Jail and Prison Opioid Project.