How Social Policies Make Matters Worse: The Case of Maternal Substance Abuse

This article addresses the issue of maternal substance abuse and the consequences of our current punitive approach. The article initially presents information that defines the scope of the problem and then offers case illustrations of the court's attempt to deal with women who use drugs and alcohol when pregnant. The article then focuses on characteristic of interventions that have the potential for bringing about a deterioration of the problem of maternal substance abuse.