Drugs, health, and social policy series ;

In a state-of-the-art presentation, Heroin in the Age of Crack-Cocaine presents articles by experts in the field on current developments and emerging trends in addition to a historical overview of heroin use in this country. Filling a void in the literature on what's known about the "new" heroin users, this volume, edited by James A. Inciardi and Lana D. Harrison, also updates the readers on the status of aging heroin addicted populations who initiated use of the drug prior to the "age of cocaine." Having moved from the stereotypical "shooting galleries" of back alleys in inner city neighborhoods, heroin addiction continues to rise in mainstream culture and new ways of administration have come into use. Arelative abundance of purer Southeast Asian heroin, the rapid rise in popularity of crack-cocaine, treatment controversies, and the realized role that injection drug use plays in the transmission of HIV all suggest increased dimensions of the heroin problem and in their saliency for the 1990s and beyond.

Prisons are bursting at the seams, filled with drug-abusing criminal offenders as a result of the continuing "war on drugs." Yet rates of drug use among these offenders continue to skyrocket, showing that incarceration alone proves an inadequate solution. Faced with a drug crisis, what options does the court have to deal with this problem population? Offering a unique perspective, Drug Control and the Courts skillfully examines the history, development, and current status of drug control programs and the criminal justice system. This cutting-edge volume identifies notable trends - such as the growing need for HIV and AIDS screening among offenders and the documented success of compulsory and coerced drug treatment programs - that can strongly influence criminal justice procedures for dealing with drug-involved offenders. Authors James A. Inciardi, Duane C. McBride, and James E. Rivers critically examine successful programs and push for expanding the coordinated efforts of the courts and drug abuse treatment services. Featuring the combined expertise of the authors, the analysis in Drug Control and the Courts will be of interest to students in criminology, criminal justice, and sociology as well as researchers, practitioners, academics, and policymakers.