This op-ed warns of "disaster" from bail reform for those suffering from addiction bc "jails have become primary treatment centers for addiction." But this is precisely why we need to stop relying on jail, decarcerate, & focus on community based treatment.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-ope…
The major issue w/ this piece is that it presumes a world where mass human caging will exist & lack of resources for alternatives won't. The author gets that the status quo is not good: “This is not to say that jail is the most appropriate space for treatment, because it is not."
Removing ourselves from the mindset & practice of jail as a public health response to *anything,* let alone substance use, is the first necessary step in transitioning to actual productive, healthy, & proven alternatives. Bail reform allows for exactly this.
The really unfortunate thing: The author does believe that community based alternatives are far better than jail. She should & could have supported bail reform as an *opportunity* to do what’s right for people struggling with this disease. Instead, she just reinforced status quo.
