Methamphetamine abuse, although on the decline, is still a significant problem in the United States, and it’s no longer confined to the West and Southwestern portions of the country. Meth use has spread to every state, leaving in its wake thousands of addicts, broken homes and shattered lives. Methamphetamine production, distribution and possession are illegal and dangerous. One population very much affected is inmates at correctional facilities. Statistics vary by state, but the number of prisoners with a meth problem who are serving time presents both a problem and a unique opportunity. The CLIFF program – Clean Lifestyle is Clean Forever – is an example of a targeted methamphetamine treatment program designed to help participating inmates get clean of meth and crime.
Philosophy behind CLIFF Program
As is so often the case, inmates in prison with an underlying addiction are there because they got caught with drugs, were dealing drugs in order to support their habit, or committed other crimes to support their addiction. Left untreated, there is nothing to stop affected inmates from returning to their previous life of meth addiction and crime once they leave prison.
In fact, meth is so easily accessible in the general prison population that separation from regular inmates is necessary in order to effectively treat the addiction. It is also a fact that most addicted inmates in prison receive no treatment at all. The recidivism rate for parolees with untreated addiction is very high. The CLIFF program was designed to provide help for incarcerated methamphetamine abusers.
How CLIFF Program Works
At the Miami Correctional Facility in Indiana, CLIFF is part of the prison’s treatment program that specifically targets methamphetamine abusers. The first residential CLIFF program began at the all-male Miami Correctional Facility in 2005. Prisoners who qualify for the program enter it voluntarily. They may have been arrested and sentenced for a drug-related crime or another type of crime, but if they have identified methamphetamine abuse as their primary substance abuse, they may qualify for CLIFF.
Restrictions on inmate eligibility include significant history of methamphetamine abuse, clean disciplinary record, and a release date between 14 and 24 months upon completion of the CLIFF program.
At the Miami Correctional Facility, the CLIFF program operates in a cell block of about 200 beds, located in a self-contained wing of the prison. Participants agree to a rigorous schedule that includes military-style inspection at the crack of dawn each day, followed by a full day of substance-abuse counseling, classes, study, and peer group sessions.
By early estimates, as of October 2009, the program seems to be working in Indiana. Recidivism among those inmates who have gone through the CLIFF program in four groups in Indiana is 24 percent, versus 37 percent in the general population.
CLIFF at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
Florida isn’t the only state with some CLIFF program experience under its belt. At Indiana’s Wabash Valley Correctional Facility at Carlisle, the CLIFF program has helped a number of meth-addicted inmates since the first group began in 2005. Similar to the CLIFF program in the Miami, Indiana correctional facility, the Carlisle group follows the same intensive regimen: early morning inspection, substance-abuse individual and group counseling, classes, study and participation in recovery-based groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and/or Narcotics Anonymous. In addition, inmates can elect to complete a self-study, faith-based Purpose Driven Life program. The program typically lasts from 6-9 months.
Here is a closer look at what the program entails.
• Pre-Treatment Phase – Days are long, lasting 15 hours. And the program goes on seven days a week. In the pre-treatment phase, inmates gain an understanding of the benefits and function crucial to the success of the therapeutic community. They learn that they must actively participate in all aspects of the program. While in the program, they learn about their addiction and gain coping mechanisms in order to deal more effectively with the negative aspects of their addiction. At the conclusion of the pre-treatment phase, CLIFF program participants have the necessary motivational level to move on to the next phase.
• Treatment Phase – Intense work in the treatment phase involves inmates focusing on how their substance abuse has negatively affected their lives as well as those of their family and friends. During this phase, they learn to identify thinking patterns that played a part in their addiction. Attention is paid to developing increased pro-social values, thoughts and attitudes. Inmates also develop and practice behaviors they’ll need for living a clean lifestyle.
• Re-Entry Phase – During the final phase of the CLIFF program, participants focus on the kinds of thoughts and behaviors that could cause them to relapse and/or fall back into criminal activity. Each participant creates his or her own relapse prevention plan and looks into the community resources that will be available – and that they will need – as they prepare to return to society.
Successful completion of the CLIFF program makes the inmates eligible for a six-month reduction in their sentences.
As of late 2009, the Carlisle facility was one of three state prisons offering the CLIFF program. The Indiana Department of Corrections plans to move the CLIFF program from the maximum security facility at Carlisle to the medium security facility at Putnamville. Reasons cited include the fact that most of the CLIFF offenders are medium security, as well as to free up beds at the Carlisle maximum security facility.
The Lure and the Ravages of Meth
Talk with meth addicts, particularly addicted inmates, and they tell a story familiar to meth treatment professionals. Initiation into methamphetamine use typically comes early in adolescence, from the ages of 12 to 16. The highly addictive, powerful stimulant acts on the brain, causing mind and mood changes that include euphoria, anxiety, and depression after short-term use. Long-term effects include chronic fatigue, paranoid delusions, aggression, violent or psychotic behavior and potential permanent psychological damage.
Physically, meth creates a false sense of energy, causing users to push their bodies far beyond what is normal. Their heart rate increases, along with blood pressure, and there’s an increased risk of stroke. Meth overdose can result in death from heart attack. Other long-term physical effects include kidney, liver, and lung damage, all of which can prove lethal.
The lure of methamphetamines, according to long-term users, is that it results in the instant rush, the feeling of being in a cloud. This is due to a buildup of dopamine in the brain. Methamphetamine stays in the brain longer than cocaine or other stimulants, making the effects of addiction longer lasting. Repeated use leads abusers to be strung out for days, weeks, even months as they constantly chase the high.
Why do people get started on meth? Some use the drug to be able to stay up for long stretches of time, such as long-distance truckers or factory workers or those who have jobs entailing long shifts. Some begin use so they can lose weight. Athletes may start on meth because of the initial heightened mental and physical stamina it creates. Meth is also a popular staple at raves, clubs and bars, along with other drugs such as ecstasy, GHB, Rohypnol, ketamine and LSD.
Lack of supply hasn’t deterred many users, either. If supplies dry up, some users turn to producing their own meth. Many inmates say they first learned how to cook meth while they were in prison. Thus, they found out that once they got out, they could get high for free, make money selling meth to other users, and feed their out-of-control habit.
Law enforcement officials say meth is easy to make and the proliferation of home-grown meth labs is difficult to police. A person can get a meth recipe of the Internet, go to the pharmacy or hardware store and buy a few supplies, and manufacture the drug in a matter of hours. But the ingredients and the “cooking” of meth combine to make meth production highly volatile. The meth lab can blow up, killing residents and neighbors.
By the time meth use has become abuse, a user’s habit may mean hitting the dope before breakfast – if they even bother to eat. Using 3 to 6 grams a day is not uncommon for long-term meth addicts. Their teeth rot. They may suffer frequent seizures. Sharing contaminated needles often results in users – and their offspring – contracting hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS.
For some meth addicts, getting busted for meth production, possession, or distribution is the final stop on a long road to self-destruction. Many breathe a sigh of relief, glad that the downhill spiral is, hopefully, at an end. If they’re lucky enough to serve time in a correctional facility that has a meth treatment program like CLIFF, they’ve got a good chance at rehabilitation.
Meth and Prison Populations in Other States
The magnitude of the meth problem in prisons is being recognized by the states. In North Dakota, for example, an estimated 60 percent of the male population is incarcerated for meth. Some 80 to 90 percent of female prisoners were jailed in the state for meth-related offenses. North Dakota state legislation was enacted to curtail the sale of over-the-counter cold medications such as Sudafed. The result was a reduction in the number of local lab incidents from 190 in 2005 to 40 in 2006.
In Nebraska, up to 70 percent of all crimes committed in the state are meth-related. While few local meth labs are still operating, meth comes into the state from Mexico via Hispanic-controlled trafficking organizations using Interstate 80 for easy west to east access. The number of Hispanic workers, legal and illegal, has nearly tripled in the last 10 years, making the traffickers blend more easily into the community. Nebraska recommendations for prison inmates who are meth addicts is to isolate them from the rest of the prison population, either in separate wings or another building, and put them into special treatment programs.
The Meth Project: Working to Prevent the Problem
Combating the problem of meth use and abuse also means targeting at-risk populations early. The Meth Project, first launched in Montana in 2005 as the Montana Meth Project, is a program focused solely on prevention. In 2005, Montana ranked number five in the U.S. for meth abuse, 50 percent of the state’s inmates were incarcerated for meth, and 50 percent of foster admissions were meth-related. Results since 2005 (to 2009) show Montana ranking number 39 in meth use. Meth use by Montana teens is down 63 percent, while adult meth use declined by 72 percent. Meth-related crime dropped 62 percent, and workers testing positive for meth declined by 72 percent.
On the basis of such substantial results, The Meth Project has now expanded into Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, and Wyoming. More states are expected to launch The Meth Project programs in the coming year.
Some startling facts from The Meth Project websites for these states include:
Arizona
• Arizona ranks number 1 in the U.S. for meth use by high school students
• 14 is the average age Arizona teens start using meth
• 33 percent of Arizona young adults have been offered meth
• 65 percent of Arizona child abuse and neglect cases involve meth
Colorado
• Colorado ranks number 8 in meth use in the U.S.
• Meth-related abuse in Colorado costs $1.4 billion annually
• 41 percent of meth addicts in Colorado started using before the age of 17
• Meth-related crime in Colorado is 56 percent higher than the national average
Hawaii
• Hawaii ranks number 3 in the U.S. for meth treatment admissions
• Hawaii ranks number 4 in the U.S. for meth-related drug offenses
• Meth use among 10th graders in Hawaii increased 87 percent
• It costs $43 million annually for meth-related emergency room visits
Idaho
• 52 percent of Idaho inmates are in jail due to meth
• It costs $66 million annually to incarcerate Idaho meth prisoners
• 77 percent of teens started using meth at age 15 or younger
Illinois
• Illinois ranks number 4 nationally for meth-related arrests
• One in 4 Illinois teens see little to no risk in trying meth
• 72 percent of meth addicts began using at age 17 or younger
• Meth costs Illinois $2 billion annually
Wyoming
• Wyoming ranks number 1 in the U.S. for meth use
• 23 percent of Wyoming teens see little to no risk in trying meth
• 45 percent of Wyoming teens say meth is easy to get
The Meth Project is aimed at reducing first-time meth use through public service messaging, public policy and community outreach. In 2006, the White House recognized The Meth Project as one of the nation’s most creative and powerful anti-drug programs.
Prevention and Treatment are the Keys
Overcoming the menace of meth addiction in the U.S. is not a simple task. It necessarily involves treating those who are currently addicted, especially the high proportion of incarcerated men and women. But it also involves raising the awareness of the dangers of meth among this nation’s youth. The core idea is to prevent the problem before it begins. Together, more effective utilization and deployment of effective programs such as The Meth Project (raising awareness and preventing meth use) and the CLIFF program (treating meth addicts in prison populations), will go a long way toward helping reduce meth addiction in the United States.
