Drug addicts often resort to crime to get money required to sustain their habit. The relationship between drug and crime is now too well known and drug addicts are likely to commit several offences every year. Thus, drug addiction is not only a problem in itself but is also a precursor for increase in crime rate in the society.
Hence, drug addiction among prison population is almost always several times higher than addiction among general population of the society. If the nexus between drug and crime is broken, the crime rate is likely to decline. Several techniques can be used to tackle the problem of drug related crime such as drug courts, compulsory testing of persons arrested for crime for possible use of drugs and testing and treatment of prison population addicted to drugs.
58. While conducting medical examination on an arrestee before production in a court by an arresting agency, the doctor examining the arrestee should also record the history or symptoms, if any of drug abuse.
Wherever an arrested person shows signs of addiction, the police should take him to a doctor or a hospital to determine if he is an addict, and if so, take measures to treat him.
Efforts may be made to ensure that at least one doctor in each prison establishment is trained by National Drug Dependence Treatment Training Centre to identify, treat and manage prison inmates with drug addiction and dependence problems.
59. Prisons should, however, as a part of the medical check-up, test every inmate for possible use of drugs and treat every inmate who is found to be addicted to drugs so that the nexus between drugs and crime can be broken effectively.
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