The city of San Francisco is proposing a new plan that would take chronically intoxicated people off the street and force them to stay in jail or choose mandatory treatment for up to six months. In a segment on KQED’s Forum this morning, Stanford addiction expert Keith Humphreys, PhD, joined a discussion about the plan and why he doesn’t think jail-time equates to sobriety. He told host Michael Krasny:
Short-term jail for people who are addicted just doesn’t work even if there’s treatment in the jail. It’s a chronic disorder, it’s not an acute disorder. So it may solve the problem for the people who have to deal with the behavior, which is difficult and unpleasant, but it will not bring people to recovery.
Full audio of their conversation is available on KQED's site.
Previously: Examining how addiction in the U.S. has changed over the last decade and A discussion of the history and effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous
