(Chicago) – The Center for Health and Justice at TASC has produced two short videos designed to support law enforcement in connecting addicted individuals to treatment in the community.
The videos can be viewed on the Center for Health and Justice website.
When people are addicted to drugs, their decision-making abilities are compromised. With information on how addiction affects the brain, and how to effectively partner with drug treatment organizations, many law enforcement agencies are working to reduce crime and improve community relations by diverting low-risk individuals to treatment rather than arrest them when their offenses are related to addiction.
Designed for showing during roll call or staff meetings, the videos cover two specific areas:
What Happens When a Brain is Addicted
- Dr. Timothy Condon, former science advisor to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and past deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, discusses addiction as a disease of the brain and the challenge of managing it, similar to other chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
Building Partnerships with Addiction Treatment
- Peter Palanca, executive vice president of TASC, discusses opportunities to build partnerships between law enforcement and drug treatment providers in the community. This video provides questions that law enforcement can ask providers during an initial meeting to learn about the services they provide.
For information on how to use these videos in your law enforcement setting, please contact Jac Charlier, director of consulting and training for the Center for Health and Justice at TASC.
Funding for the production of the videos was provided through a grant awarded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President. Points of view or opinions in the videos are those of the presenters and do not represent the official position or policies of the Executive Office of the President.