Prevention Not Prison

Despite harsh drug laws and one of the highest incarceration rates worldwide, Arizona has an ongoing opioid overdose crisis. Public health professionals stress the importance of destigmatizing substance use disorder, but the current system marginalizes people in possession of drugs by charging them with a felony. This leads to the loss of their civil rights, causes discrimination in the housing and employment markets, and makes them seven times more likely to experience homelessness. These added barriers are counterproductive to successful treatment and recovery, and often result in increased recidivism.

Join us for a panel discussion to learn about the impact of prison sentences on people with substance abuse disorders, alternative options that have proven to reduce drug use in our communities, and what it would look like to make drug possession a misdemeanor instead of a felony. 

RSVP for the  event to receive an email with the Zoom streaming link.

Additional Location Information

This panel discussion will take place in the Community Room (Room 147) in Building 19. Click here for a map of Yavapai College.

This event is jointly sponsored by the Law and Justice Club of Yavapai College and the ACLU of Arizona.