It’s an age old problem with addiction and crime. Although most prison personnel understand what addiction is, they still treat the addict as a criminal. Yes, they broke the law, but each case needs to be treated for what it is; a person not in his right mind, someone with a mental illness.
There’s been some recent press about a man named Cameron Douglas, the son of actor Michael Douglas. Cameron, who is currently serving a five-year federal sentence for drug distribution and heroin possession, was caught with heroin and Suboxone (a prescription medication to help with opioid withdrawal), and is now being sentence to an additional four and a half years. This sentence prompted two dozen addiction groups, specialists and doctors to file a brief stating Cameron is a ‘textbook example’ of a person who has been untreated for opioid dependence. His current prison time is not working at solving the underlying problem of his addiction. The case is now being reviewed by a panel from the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
So, what’s so unusual about this additional sentence is that most inmates caught with drugs suffer consequences of losing prison privileges. Cameron Douglas has received the longer sentence time AND the loss of prison privileges, such as isolation and loss of family visits.
Although the case has much to do with Douglas fame, being the son and grandson of an acting dynasty, it does make some wonder if Douglas is being treated unfairly due to his ‘star power?’ Is he being punished to deter others? On the other side of this, is Douglas receiving attention from these two dozen groups, specialist and doctors because of his situation?
What are your thoughts?
Recovery Rob BIO
Recovery Rob is a 47-year-old man who has more than nineteen years of sobriety, whose drugs of choice at one time were alcohol and drugs, and he has worked in and around the field of addiction for more than 20 years. Having just recently launched his own website, which is under construction, he hopes to reach out and continue to help others who work through their process of addiction and recovery. Recovery Rob is a professional writer who has published two novels and is currently working on his third. He has been writing and working as Pat Moore Foundation’s premiere blogger and content writer, which helps keeps Pat Moore Foundation’s addiction and recovery blog top-rated.