Jacqueline Lombardo ’24
Substance Use Disorder and Incarceration
Jacqueline Lombardo ’24, Political Science major, Writing minor
This past summer, I interned at the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office in Portland, Maine, and was exposed to the connection between substance use disorders and incarceration. Currently, sixty-five percent of the United States prison population has an active substance use disorder. Another twenty percent of the prison population did not meet the criteria for a substance use disorder but were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time their crime was committed. Most research shows that inmates with a substance use disorder, or a SUD, do not receive proper treatment while incarcerated. Due to this, relapse and reincarceration are more likely to occur. This summer, while at the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, I was able to accompany the DA to various community meetings and explore other avenues of rehabilitation that aim to diminish the link between SUDs and incarceration. Ultimately, I was able to determine that alternate forms of rehabilitation are considerably more appropriate for most individuals with SUDs.
Poster Presentation: Wednesday, April 26, 2 – 4 p.m.
