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An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Children of drug abusers

Hitchcock Center for Women

NCJ Number
152195
Date Published
1994
Agencies
NIJ-Sponsored
Publication Type
Program/Project Evaluation

Addiction, the Brain, and Evidence-Based Treatment

March 2012

The criminal justice system encounters and supervises a large number of drug abusing persons. Punishment alone is a futile and ineffective response to the problem of drug abuse. Addiction is a chronic brain disease with a strong genetic component that in most instances requires treatment. Involvement in the criminal justice system provides a unique opportunity to treat drug abuse disorders and related health conditions, thereby improving public health and safety.