The 'Post-Release High': 'Bridge to Recovery' Needed to Prevent Drug Recidivism

[Anchor]

It has been 200 days since the government declared an all-out war on drug-related crimes. Thanks to intensive crackdowns by the joint investigation headquarters, over 23,000 people were apprehended last year alone, and the volume of online drug transactions and drugs smuggled from overseas both hit record highs. The problem is that, despite these results, the recidivism rate—where those arrested return to drug use—is steadily rising. Furthermore, teenagers and people in their 20s and 30s account for over 60 percent of first-time drug offenders. Today (July 7) and tomorrow, SBS will take an in-depth look at the reality of punishment, treatment, and rehabilitation for drug offenders.

Reported by Je Hui-won and Lee Se-hyun.

[Reporter Je Hui-won]

A, a person in their 30s who worked as a fashion designer.

Three years ago, they were caught using the synthetic drug ecstasy at a club they visited with friends and were detained in a detention center for 10 months.

Although they vowed never to touch drugs again, the reality of life in detention was different from what they had expected.

It was a daily routine for inmates to share information on drug dealers or encourage each other to use other drugs.

[A / Detained after drug use: I lived with recidivists and (drug) dealers. They would say things like, 'Let's do it when we get out,' or 'You can easily get it if you go here.' They would also (share) the thrilling experiences they had when they used drugs.]

While there are internal guidelines to separate first-time offenders from repeat offenders, and users from dealers, many correctional facilities are already over capacity, so in practice, they are only separated from the general inmate population.

[A / Detained after drug use: It is a huge temptation. Because it creates a path where you can easily obtain (drugs) again even after you finish your sentence and get out.]

Having overcome the various temptations within the detention center, A dedicated themselves to 40 hours of rehabilitation training after release and learned how to fight addiction on their own by reading books.

However, there are not many cases like A where one continues to abstain from drugs after release.

The recidivism rate for drug offenders, which was below 50 percent three years ago, has steadily increased to 51.9 percent in 2024, and 56.5 percent as of May this year.

Nearly 6 out of 10 people have returned to drugs.

Experts attribute this to the fact that while access to drugs has become easier than before, there are not enough places to help break the cycle of addiction.

[Ahn Jun-hyung / Lawyer specializing in drug cases: I understand that the targets of the war (on drugs) are dealers or producers, but (users) are patients with dependency who have a medical diagnosis code. Since there is no support and only punishment, the numbers just do not go down.]

Although some people manage to commit to a new life on their own after passing through a long tunnel, it is difficult for drug addicts to break free from the shackles of addiction on their own strength.

One in two drug offenders has returned to drugs, and it is rare for someone to succeed in long-term abstinence.

[Reporter Lee Se-hyun]

For drug addiction, the treatment and recovery process is just as important as punishment.

That is why a 'Bridge to Recovery' is necessary.

We visited institutions that help these individuals recover, from addiction to daily life.

DARC, a living community for drug addicts, is a private facility that helps with abstinence and social reintegration.

It is a place where those who could not break their addiction through counseling or medication alone can understand and support each other while focusing solely on recovery.

[DARC Center resident: Being able to talk about my story was the most helpful thing (for abstinence). There were also reading therapy, art therapy, and drama therapy.]

Although they receive some government subsidies, each resident pays 700,000 won per month.

Through career counseling, including obtaining certifications, and vocational rehabilitation, they prepare to return to society and shed the stigma of being a drug addict.

[Choi Jin-mook / Director of Incheon DARC Center: The state should have prepared for social rehabilitation after incarceration, but the state was a bit late. So, the private sector started it first...]

DARC, which began in Japan in 1985, was introduced in Korea in 2012 and once grew to five locations, but now only two remain due to financial problems and opposition from local residents.

While drug addiction is increasing, the number of places helping with rehabilitation and social reintegration after criminal punishment is decreasing.

Rehabilitation programs led by state institutions are often evaluated as being in their infancy.

The number of participants in the 'Recovery Connection Program,' which helps with rehabilitation within prisons, is expected to be 230 this year, which is only 3 percent of the drug offenders incarcerated last year.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's 'Together Step Center' began opening 8 years ago and has now grown to 17 locations nationwide, but they mainly handle mandatory education following criminal punishment, and programs that help with social reintegration, such as vocational rehabilitation, are hard to find.

[Choi Jin-mook / Director of Incheon DARC Center: Social rehabilitation is not just a process of quitting drugs. It is a time to prepare for what kind of work to do and how to live.]

It is time for the government to think more deeply about what comes after crackdowns and punishment so that drug addicts do not return to drugs, rather than leaving recovery and rehabilitation solely to individual willpower.

Reported by Kim Seung-tae and Yang Ji-hoon | Video edited by Choi Hye-young and Yoon Tae-ho | Graphics by Seo Seung-hyun and Hwang Se-yeon | VJ by Kim Hyung-jin | Footage courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and Incheon DARC Association
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.