There's another general in the news recently, this time former drug czar Barry McCaffrey. He announced his support for the expansion of drug treatment programs for incarcerated offenders.
"In forced remission" is a pretty popular phrase here in the corrections field, and more people in prison have problems with drugs than just those incarcerated for drug crimes. Almost as bad as the movement in American criminal justice to incarcerate minor drug offenders, is the lack of decent treatment options for individuals in prison.
As a corrections employee, I'm thrilled to hear General McCaffrey's support for this initiative. It's a forgotten topic in the discussion of US drug policy. Regardless of your stance on mandatory minimum sentencing and "three strikes" laws, you really have to agree that as long as someone is in forced state custody, their drug habits should be treated.
"Forced remission" alone is not treatment, it's a matter of fact. To facilitate restorative justice and actual corrections, we need to help offenders move past their addictions.