Barred From Treatment: Punishment of Drug Users in New York State Prisons

March 24, 2009 Human Rights Watch alleges that New York fails to ensure inmates access to substance abuse treatment and pursues a program of harsh punishment for drug use that bars prisoners from treatment as part of the disciplinary sanction. The researchers describe problems within New York's provision of substance abuse treatment for incarcerated individuals. Key problems included: A mandatory urine testing program that carries harsh penalties upon detection of drug use, including removal from treatment Failure to provide treatment early in the incarceration period Failure to provide medication-assisted therapy to opioid dependent inmates Failure to provide translation . . .