Consider this scenario. You are on probation for a drug related crime, you quickly enter treatment and relapse early in your recovery. Should you immediately be subject to probation violation and sent to prison? Or, is the disease of addiction cause to deter criminal punishment? Listen in to this opiate recovery support group as they discuss their opinions on this topic.

Discussion Guide:

Is addiction a choice or a disease? 

Do you believe that opioid addiction causes you to be prone to relapses?

Does the threat of incarceration motivate substance dependent people toward recovery?

If  addiction is a medical condition and relapsing is a part of the disease, is it unconstitutional to punish the addict with incarceration?

Under what circumstances is incarceration a reasonable outcome for opioid addicts?  

What do you recommend as guidelines for the criminal justice system in making these decisions?

Supplemental Reading:

Deborah Becker, Court to Rule on Whether Relapse Be An Addicted Opioid User Should Be a Crime, http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/10/26/559541332/court-to-rule-on-whether-relapse-by-an-addicted-opioid-user-should-be-a-crime