Substance abuse is a national problem. Prisons are overcrowded with this type of criminal. People will do anything to obtain these drugs, from petty theft to murder. People with substance abuse problems know no boundaries. All they think about is how to get that drug for that day. Substance abusers don't care who they hurt or why they hurt them. Many addicted people harm the people they love most, such as children and parents. People in the prison system who have been convicted of violent crimes, the majority of them, say they were under the influence of some type of drug or alcohol. Putting these types of individuals in prison is a problem. They are put there to be rehabilitated and helped with their drug problem. States and the U.S. government contribute billions of dollars to prisons; where most of the criminals are drug addicts. However, are they really getting the help they need? Here's a little story about drug abuse. According to David Musto (1987) drug abuse has existed for approximately 100 years. Christian organizations had a meeting with congress and stated that drug addicts are dangerous and evil individuals. These groups thought that drug use among foreign individuals such as the corrupt Chinese and Mexicans was a threat to American-born individuals. These groups convinced Congress to criminalize drugs. One hundred years ago, possession of some drugs was legal and even children could purchase them such as morphine, opium, marijuana and cocaine. These drugs, if caught with them today, could result in a life sentence in today's society. 1914 marked a change for these drugs: it was as if overnight these drugs became illegal. The reason for this change in 1914 was...... middle of paper ......ment. When they change the treatment they hinder the ability to identify the effective parts of this treatment. According to De Leon 2000, this treatment model recommends hiring recovering drug addicts and ex-criminals (Cook, J. (2008). This has been a challenge for the TC program, due to policies and procedures in correctional institutions. They trained inmates on good behavior of ex-criminals and recovering drug addicts. The TC program has four phases ranging from orientation where they learn the rules of the program. The second phase is where they learn how to deal with everyday problems The next stage is where they learn life skills and substitutes for violence. The fourth and final stage is where they prepare prisoners for release through groups such as education and employment. Treatment programs may cause other problems of health..