Our guest speaker on Tuesday, Jerry Stahler, was very informative on the conditions of the criminal justice system in Philadelphia and how that intersects with drug use and recovery. I like that he shared some personal stories as well as recounts of his job working in the Philly DOC. I think the class definitely learned some interesting statistics regarding incarceration in the United States.

I thought it was interesting that Stahler mentioned there is no concrete protocol for incarcerated people with addiction. Those struggling with addiction in the prison system have very limited options when it comes to getting on the track to recovery. Depending on the substance used, those experiences withdrawal symptoms are not offered much help. Overall, prisons just lack the resources necessary to treat addiction.