Originally Posted by
Eroica 
I read that somewhere between 10%-12% of people arrested are dependent on drugs and or alcohol at the time of their arrest.
I would guess quite a bit higher based on the people I met in jail. Although not all the crimes were drug or alcohol related, almost everyone I've met had some 'issues' with chemicals.
Originally Posted by
Eroica So, the way I look at it, the state is killing hundreds if not thousands of people by not sending them to a facility to safely detox before incarcerating them.. If they're gonna be put in jail then its the states responsbility to help them detox.
That's a fairly absurd notion and not very accurate. I'd bet we'd hear about it if the state was killing hundreds or thousands of people. A single death while incarcerated is a big deal. Big news and big investigation. I'm guessing it's very rare.
I've detoxed in jail before. Not fun and not pretty. I do not think it is the state's responsibility. I think medical care is, so they need to keep people alive. But, at least in my case, the state was more concerned with public safety than my personal comfort level. The primary concern wwas to protect the public from me. Secondary concern was maybe whether I seized or not.