About ICDP
Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy: Who We Are
The Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy is a project established in 2005 through a grant from the Drug Policy Alliance and is housed at Roosevelt University?s Institute for Metropolitan Affairs (IMA) in Chicago, Illinois. These funds were secured to assist the IMA in developing its regional and state drug policy research activities. The Consortium brings together the research, ideas and recommendations from non-profit organizations, scholars, and policymakers working in the diverse fields impacted by drug policies. The Consortium creates policy recommendations derived from analysis of quantitative data sets, interviews with impacted populations, legislative reviews, and lessons learned from around the nation. The Consortium engages in projects that intersect with drugs and the criminal justice system and aims to inform Illinois? public policy by disseminating information that informs policymaking.
A guiding tenet of the Consortium is to learn from individuals who have experienced substance use disorders and treatment, as well as from individuals who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. Impacted individuals, as well as representatives of participating Consortium organizations, serve on the Consortium?s advisory council. The council engages in planning and oversight of Consortium research, education, organizing and advocacy projects. Consortium work is driven by a ?bottom-up? approach, whereby those who are impacted by drug policies help determine what projects are most important to create sustainable change. The Consortium works side by side with individuals as well as other groups to obtain suitable solutions. These partnerships aim to unite statistics and research with the consumer?s perspective to advocate for informed public policy solutions.
Our Mission
The Consortium?s primary objectives are to promote discussion of alternatives to Illinois? current drug policies and to serve as a forum for the open, honest and thoughtful exchange of ideas. We aspire to serve both the general public and populations significantly affected by drug policies through careful analysis of current policies in the areas of housing, employment, education, social services, healthcare and economics. We aim to offer sensible, prudent, just and economically viable alternatives to ineffective policies. The Consortium seeks meaningful change by increasing dialogue, heightening public awareness, meeting with legislators, organizing individuals and communities, and expanding outreach to other organizations that are also impacted by drug policies. The Consortium views individuals and communities that have been directly impacted by drug policies as an integral component for change.
Our Vision
The Consortium envisions a time when Illinoisans discuss and view substance use disorders in a new way?as a public health problem, rather than simply a criminal justice issue. We aspire to see treatment delivered when individuals need it and to provide care based on individual needs. We endeavor to promote initiatives and policies that recognize the nexus between substance use, mental health problems and factors related to being a member of a disadvantaged population. We also encourage work that seeks to reduce the physical, psychological, social and legal harms associated with substance use. The Consortium sees a future where drug use declines as we reduce the demand for drugs through advancements in treatment and prevention programming, and where those who receive services help determine how these services are delivered. The Consortium pictures Illinois as a national leader in fostering healthy individuals and communities and providing evidence-based treatment for addiction disorders. The Consortium conceives of a world where individuals who have criminal records are given opportunities to contribute to society through employment, community building, and civic engagement. The Consortium sees these changes enacted by those who are most impacted by these policies, including individuals who have been incarcerated for drug offenses.
At Issue
The Consortium believes that nonviolent drug offenders should be diverted from prison to treatment and that treatment should be made more widely available. These policies would address several serious problems in Illinois: 1) the exponential increase in prisoners incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses; 2) prison overcrowding, which results in safety issues for inmates and employees; 3) the racial disparity in the incarceration of nonviolent drug offenders; 4) the lack of available addiction treatment services both in prison and in Illinois as a whole; 5) the Illinois budget crisis, which could be helped by the savings incurred by diverting nonviolent drug offenders to treatment, education, counseling and supportive housing services rather than prison.