MEDICAL HELP NEEDED FOR ADDICTED INMATES

I applaud and support Monroe County Legislature Minority Leader H. Todd
Ballard in questioning the ability of New York state correctional
facilities to properly treat an individual suffering from withdrawal, given
the death of Candace Brown.

Our criminal justice system is unqualified and incapable of administering
the therapy necessary to help substance abusers cope with the pangs of
withdrawal, and it is absurd to think it can.

Substance abuse is a public health problem, not a criminal justice problem.
If addicts are to be successfully reintegrated into society, it is
imperative that trained medical professionals, not prison wardens, play the
larger role in their recovery.

Daniel G Renkas Jr, Henrietta