Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Prisons offer little or no support for inmates with alcohol problem

Almost 89% of prisoners with an alcohol problem got no help while behind bars last year, according to figures obtained by The Herald.

Despite alcohol being an aggravating factor in more than half of all homicides and much of the violent and anti-social crime which blights Scotland, a tiny proportion of inmates get specialist help while in jail.

According to the 2008 prisoner survey, much of the prison population has a problem with alcohol and some 49% said they were drunk at the time of their offence. However, figures released following a parliamentary question by Richard Baker, Labour’s justice spokesman, show that last year just 402 inmates completed a prison alcohol awareness programme, out of a total population of 7376.

Two of Scotland’s prisons, Dumfries and Kilmarnock, have no alcohol awareness programme and ministers have confirmed there are no plans to introduce them.

Politicians and academics have questioned whether prison is the best place for those whose criminal lifestyle is fuelled by addiction or whether they would be best served in community rehabilitation programmes.

Many inmates serve sentences of six months or less, making the provision of alcohol or other addiction programmes difficult to administer, and the prison service can only offer courses to those willing to participate. Recent research by Bill McKinlay, governor of Barlinnie Prison, and academics at Glasgow Caledonian University, found that 57% of young offenders blamed their offence on alcohol in 2007, compared to 30% in 1979.

Some 43% of the inmates interviewed in 2007 revealed they drank Buckfast immediately prior to their offence. The number blaming just drugs dropped from 21% in 1996 to 9% in 2007.

The Scottish Government has made tackling alcohol abuse and alcohol-related violence a key priority but some of their pledges, including minimum pricing, have already been mired in controversy.

Mr Baker said he believes Alcohol Treatment and Testing Orders (ATTOs) should be introduced to help address addiction problems. “(Justice Secretary) Kenny MacAskill keeps on talking about rehabilitation but, as these figures make clear, he is failing,” he said. “Only one in 10 prisoners receive the support they need to deal with alcohol problems and that needs to change.”

source: The Herald

More Treatment & Detox Articles

New Mexico turns a corner on drunk driving

Kenny Martinez demonstrates blowing into his ignition interlock to start his truck in Santa Fe, N.M. The state once led the nation in alcohol-related crash deaths. But tough measures, including an ignition-interlock requirement for all convicted drunk drivers, are paying off. For the last seven years, Horace, a four-time convicted drunk driver, has lived with….

Binge drinking concerns rise as students celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

The celebration is not yet over for St. Patrick’s Day. With more festivities to come over the upcoming weekend, concerns about binge drinking inevitably pop up. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs, a program ran by the U.S. Department of Justice, approximately 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by people under….

Is Compulsive Shopping A Mental Disorder?

There is little doubt that compulsive shopping can cause severe impairment and distress, two key criteria for formal recognition as a mental disorder. But the rest remains up for grabs: Is compulsive shopping a biologically driven disease of the brain, a learned habit run amok, an addiction in its own right or a symptom of….

Personal intervention can cut binge drinking

A new study from The University of Texas School of Public Health has found that brief and personal intervention can significantly reduce drinking among risky college drinkers. The researchers found that motivational interviewing with feedback (MIF) significantly reduced drinking among a group of heavy-drinking college students. The MIF intervention includes a personalized feedback profile and….

Types of Addiction Treatment Centers Available

Addiction treatment centers help people overcome their addiction by providing resources and support There are thousands of rehab centers located throughout the country No matter a person’s addiction problem, there is a treatment center out there to help them overcome their addiction Why People decide to go to an Addiction Treatment Center According to www.drugabuse,gov,….