SAFE Project

Buenos dias! I hope you’re enjoying your literal morning coffee as you read Sunday Morning Coffee. :) Or whatever your morning beverage of choice may be (no judgement if you aren’t a coffee drinker. Well, maybe a little).

While wearing my nonprofit Executive Director hat this week (check out Hand2Heart DC), one of my partners and I met with Jeff Horowitz, the CEO of the SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic) to learn more about the SAFE Project mission.

SAFE Project's mission is to contribute in a tangible way to overcome the addiction epidemic in the United States. Using a collaborative, multi-pronged and non-partisan approach, our key initiatives focus on SAFE Campuses, SAFE Communities, SAFE Veterans and SAFE Workplaces. They are fueled by SAFE Project’s six lines of operation: public awareness, full-spectrum prevention, prescriptions and medical response, law enforcement and criminal justice, treatment and recovery and family outreach and support.

Let me just say, “wow.” They do such great work.

Here are some quick stats from their website:

108,000 Americans lost their lives to overdoses in 2021.

Veterans are 2x more likely to die from an accidental overdose.

Fewer than 10% of incarcerated citizens have access to treatment and recovery services.

In collegiate recovery efforts, 1 in 3 college students reported dealing with a mental illness.

The work that the SAFE Project is doing is not only timely, it’s imperative. The so-called “War on Drugs” that our government has been waging since the Nixon administration hasn’t made a dent in the epidemic of drug use in our country, but it’s certainly created other problems that it apparently can’t figure out how to solve (aka mass incarceration). If anyone reading this thinks that incarcerating anyone solves their substance use addiction…have I got news for you!

Drug use within prison walls is a pervasive and challenging issue that has grown with the emergence of the opioid epidemic and exacerbated by the ingenuity of the humans getting drugs in. While prisons are meant to provide a controlled environment that’s “safe and secure,” the presence of drugs undermines these goals. If we want to believe that prisons are a place for rehabilitation, the prevalence of drug use therein not only compromises safety but also impedes successful reintegration into society.

Prisons, despite their intention to deter and correct criminogenic behavior, often find themselves trapped in a cycle of substance use. Illicit substances find their way into correctional facilities through various means, including smuggling, visits, or corrupt staff members. This is one reason residents can no longer receive mail directly from loved ones. Everything is photocopied. Why? Because correctional agencies determined that this was one way drugs were being made available to residents. Read this article/report from the Prison Policy Initiative if you want to know more. Once inside, drugs can fuel violence, facilitate criminal networks, and perhaps most importantly, perpetuate addiction. The repercussions of this cycle are far-reaching, impacting not only the individuals involved but also the safety of everyone working in a facility, resident health, the potential for successful reentry into society, and the families of those who continue a life of addiction.

One of the primary goals of incarceration is to facilitate rehabilitation and reduce recidivism. However, drug use within prison walls severely hampers these efforts. Substance abuse can impede an individual's motivation to engage in rehabilitative programs, compromise their physical and mental well-being, and increase the risk of relapse upon release. It’s imperative that we break this cycle by providing effective substance use treatment programs and comprehensive support services within correctional facilities.

To effectively combat drug use in prisons, a comprehensive approach to substance use rehabilitation is essential. It should involve evidence-based treatment programs tailored to the unique needs of incarcerated individuals. These programs should address not only the physical aspects of addiction but also the underlying psychological, social, and environmental factors contributing to substance abuse. Moreover, providing education on the risks of drug use and promoting alternative coping mechanisms can empower people to make positive changes in their lives. Where such programs do exist, though, the waiting list to get in is astronomical. There aren’t enough programs or program space to serve the need. Particularly with the rise of opioid addiction.

The battle against drug use doesn’t end at the prison gates. To ensure successful reintegration into society, folks returning home need access to comprehensive aftercare services upon release. These services should include substance abuse counseling, assistance with finding housing and employment, and access to healthcare and mental health support. By bridging the gap between incarceration and community life, we can provide the necessary support for individuals to maintain their sobriety and lead productive lives. Again, there’s just such a shortage of some of these must-haves (like housing, for instance), a shortage of resources to provide adequate services, and such an overwhelming need, that it can be daunting.

Which is why organizations like the SAFE Project are key. Effectively addressing substance use pre- and post-release requires collaboration among various stakeholders. Governments, correctional authorities, healthcare professionals, community organizations, peer support, and civil society have to work together to implement comprehensive substance use rehabilitation programs and support services. Sharing resources, expertise, and best practices can help ensure a coordinated and holistic approach to tackling this complex issue.

Giving time and/or money to organizations that do good work should be on all of our priority lists. Raising awareness of the destruction that opioids are waging on our communities and working to collaboratively create solutions is a better avenue than the so-called “War on Drugs” that’s only served to incarcerate a disproportionate number of U.S. citizens (without winning any war on drugs, by the way). The SAFE Project has a great quote that I plan to use frequently:

“We cannot arrest our way out of a disease.”

On this Memorial Day, think not only of the men and women who lost their lives in service to our country, but also to those who continue to suffer from PTSD, drug addiction, and who are or have been incarcerated as a result. They’ve lost their lives as well. We should be working diligently to give them the resources to live again…healthy and free.

Happy Memorial Day!