WBUR: Lecturer Deb Goldfarb Advocates for Treatment Alternatives for Probationers Who Relapse
Relapse is a normal part of recovery for people with substance use disorder. However, people on probation who relapse are in violation of their probation terms and can be sent back to prison, which interrupts their recovery and removes them from their support system. Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a bill that would require treatment instead of incarceration for those who fail a drug test. Deb Goldfarb, a lecturer at BU School of Social Work, recently spoke to lawmakers advocating for the bill.
Excerpt from “Mass. Bill Would Ease Penalties on Probationers Who Fail Drug Tests” by Deborah Becker:
“The bill, known as ‘An act relative to treatment, not imprisonment’ was the subject of a legislative briefing Wednesday. A group of mental health and addiction experts and attorneys told lawmakers that the threat of incarceration impedes addiction treatment and punishes relapse, which they say is part of the disease of addiction.
‘I saw hundreds of individuals placed in custody for merely relapsing, a symptom of their substance use disorder,’ said Deborah Goldfarb, director of Behavioral Health at Boston Medical Center’s Grayken Center for Addiction. ‘A correctional environment is not one that fosters recovery. And not only were folks not receiving appropriate treatment in custody, they are ripped away from any treatment connections they have.’
The legislation, sponsored by State Rep. Ruth Balser and State Sen. Cindy Friedman, specifies that a positive drug or alcohol test or other signs of relapse would not be considered a probation violation if someone is following a treatment plan, trying to get care or has completed a program and is complying with other conditions of probation. The bill would also prohibit the courts from ordering more substance use testing than required by a treatment provider.”