Virginia jail aims to break cycles of addiction among inmates
CBS America · Just In
CBS America
Just In
A jail in Virginia has found a way to break the cycle of recidivism, where people relapse into criminal behavior and end up back behind bars. As Mark Strassmann reports, for many inmates, escaping the confinement of jail often begins with breaking the chains of addiction.
Breakdown
- Chesterfield County Jail in Virginia addresses recidivism by targeting addiction among inmates through the HARP program. 5s
- HARP is a voluntary, peer-to-peer, and largely inmate-run recovery program offering therapies eight hours a day. 43s
- Sheriff Carl Leonard launched HARP in 2016 after noticing high rates of overdoses and addiction among inmates. 1m 39s
- About 90% of the jail's 350 inmates have addiction issues, and HARP graduates have a 23% recidivism rate, much lower than the national average. 1m 51s
- The program is not foolproof, but it provides inmates with tools to manage trauma and addiction, offering a chance for rehabilitation. 2m 46s