In Episode 348 of Everyday Injustice, host David Greenwald speaks with Dr. D’Anne Hancock, professor emerita at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and author of The Criminalization of Addiction, about the growing use of drug-induced homicide prosecutions and whether decades of punitive drug policies have made communities safer. Hancock argues that the criminal justice system continues to treat addiction primarily as a crime rather than a public health issue, with devastating consequences for individuals and families.
Hancock’s research began with her own son’s experience. After developing an opioid addiction following treatment for kidney stones, her son eventually began using heroin and fentanyl. In 2018, he was arrested after providing fentanyl to a friend who subsequently died from an overdose. Hancock describes how his prosecution exposed her family to plea bargaining pressures, lengthy potential prison sentences and a system she believes prioritizes punishment over rehabilitation.
Drawing on a database of 3,275 drug-induced homicide cases, Hancock discusses sentencing disparities between state and federal prosecutions and the substantial difference between sentences imposed after trials and those resulting from guilty pleas. She also challenges the assumption that these prosecutions primarily target major drug traffickers, arguing that many involve people struggling with addiction who supplied drugs to friends, partners or acquaintances.
The conversation examines whether drug-induced homicide laws discourage people from seeking emergency medical assistance during overdoses, the limitations of Good Samaritan protections and the continued availability of drugs inside prisons. Hancock advocates for rehabilitation and restorative justice as alternatives to lengthy incarceration, arguing that the nation’s decadeslong reliance on punishment has failed to adequately address addiction or prevent overdose deaths.
To comment please go to one of these social media platforms:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavisVanguard
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peoples-vanguard-of-davis-inc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davisvanguard/
X: https://x.com/davisvanguard
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/vanguardnewsgroup.bsky.social
Subscribe to the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.