“But mandatory treatment is different than jail and prison. And I think that we do a very poor job of providing treatment in those settings. Those aren’t the—I mean, if someone is going to be in jail because they’ve committed a series of very serious criminal offenses, yes. Let’s provide treatment in those settings. But that shouldn’t be the primary place where people get their treatment. There should be a range of alternatives available to people, so that they don’t wind up in jail or prison for their drug use.”
Biography: Amy Singer was a long-time staffer at Phoenix House (1994-2015), where she has held a variety of positions, starting as Director of Criminal Justice Programs and leading to her current title of Senior Vice President and Director, Public/Private Partnerships and Business.
Keywords: Phoenix House; New York City; Boston; District Attorney; substance abuse treatment; courts; judges; victims' services; methadone; therapeutic community; unions; race; New York City Department of Corrections; Governor's Office on Criminal Justice and Alternatives to Incarceration; foundations; halfway house
Other Narrators
