Drug programmes do not effectively reduce possibility of inmates relapsing

Having inmates taking part in community-based drug rehabilitation programmes does not effectively reduce the possibility of them relapsing, a new study has shown. Published in the Malta Medical Journal and penned by Claire Axiak, the study aims to determine the efficacy, or otherwise, of the three drug rehabilitation programmes in place in reducing recidivism among Corradino Correctional Facility inmates who take drugs. Drug abuse is a serious social problem, with 14 per cent of people aged between 18 and 24 being affected. Besides the well-known harmful effects on a person’s health and welfare, substance misuse has serious repercussions on society such as the strain on public finances spent on medical interventions, loss of production, social benefits and court proceedings. The argument for financing therapeutic community-based drug rehabilitation programmes for inmates is compelling because international research has shown that these have a positive effect on reducing recidivism, the study notes. Therapeutic community-based programmes revolve around a radical change in the person’s lifestyle, including moderation, self-restraint, abstinence, removing anti-social behaviour and...