© Tom Blewitt & Zack Griffiths – HMP Prisons Justice Group
Addiction is one of the most misunderstood things in our society. Too often, it is framed as a matter of personal weakness or poor choices, when in reality it is the culmination of trauma, pain, and circumstances that drag people into dependency. Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to become an addict. It is not a lifestyle choice—it is a survival mechanism gone wrong, a desperate attempt to numb wounds that were never properly healed.
Yet when addiction leads to crime, our justice system frequently responds with punishment rather than rehabilitation. This is a fundamental flaw. If the root cause of the crime is addiction, then punishing the crime without addressing the addiction is like treating symptoms while ignoring the disease. The cycle simply repeats: desperation leads to relapse, relapse leads to crime, crime leads to punishment, and punishment leads back to desperation. It is a loop that traps individuals and burdens society.
Of course, accountability matters. Crimes cannot be excused, and justice must be served. But justice should not be confused with retribution. True justice is about restoration—restoring individuals to health, restoring communities to safety, and restoring hope where it has been lost. Rehabilitation is not a soft option; it is the only option that breaks the cycle. Without it, prisons become revolving doors, filled with people whose real problem remains untreated.
Addiction is brutal. It strips away dignity, relationships, and futures. But it is not unbeatable. With proper support—counseling, medical treatment, community programs—people can rebuild their lives. They can move from desperation to stability, from crime to contribution. The question is whether society is willing to invest in that possibility, or whether it will continue to cling to punishment as a false solution.
Prison alone is not the answer. Rehabilitation is. Until we recognize that, we will keep punishing symptoms while ignoring the disease. And the cycle will continue, at great cost to individuals and to us all.
HMP Prisons Justice Group 