Obama, White House Focus on Path to Rehabilitation

Over the past few months, President Barack Obama has called for drastic changes in the criminal justice system, specifically in the case of drug sentencing and mandatory minimums. In a push for less time behind bars and more rehab, Obama has reached out to past and current inmates, criminal justice experts and drug treatment specialists looking for answers.

On a recent visit to Newark, New Jersey, Obama visited Integrity House, a state-funded residential drug rehab center. Per the Wheeling News Register, Obama also met with former drug felons, a federal judge and a parole officer to get a better understanding about the obstacles standing in the way of true rehabilitation.

Early Release

The White House recently announced new policies that focus on rehab and reintegration of former prisoners, while the Federal Bureau of Prisons made a statement in October saying that about 6,000 inmates would be granted early releases. Per CNN, these prisoners are non-violent drug offenders who have served an average of nine years.

These releases are a result of Obama’s push last year to address drug sentencing in a more reasonable, treatment-first and prison-second way. According to the Wheeling News Register, many of these inmates were already admitted to halfway house programs.

In regards to these types of prisoners, Obama said in a statement, “There are people who have gone through tough times, they’ve made mistakes, but with a little bit of help, they can get on the right path.”

Treatment a Priority

A White House statement noted that there are more than 600,000 people released from state and federal prisons every year. Many of these individuals found themselves behind bars thanks to tough drug policies that have persisted since the “war on drugs” President Richard Nixon started in the 1970s.

Mandatory minimums have led to widespread overcrowding in the country’s prisons and nonsensical sentencing of non-violent offenders. Obama is quick to remind the country that, “when they describe their youth, these are young people who made mistakes that aren’t that different from the mistakes I made, and the mistakes that a lot of you guys made.”

Restricted by current laws, there is little the president can do to stem the tide of heavy-handed drug-related sentencing. His message of rehab over hard time, however, is gaining traction. It’s now up to Congress to follow his lead and take a bigger step towards treatment for the nation’s most maligned drug abusers.

Alex Kirkwood is a health writer for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Odyssey House. Follow on Twitter