Beyond the iron gate, the fence and the razor wire, 10 inmates in maroon uniforms sit in stillness, listening to the serene sounds of sitar music. Eyes closed, hands folded, they await the tiny pricks of acupuncture needles being inserted delicately in their ears.
Ancient Chinese medicine came to Baltimore's jail 16 years ago with the promise of curbing the cravings of drug addiction. Since then, acupuncture has been the centerpiece of a treatment program that serves nearly 700 inmates each year.
Modern science has not found solid evidence that it works. Still, the inmates claim that with acupuncture, all they crave are the meditative moments it brings. They say it soothes them and helps clear their cluttered minds to find the strength to confront their addiction.
"I've done buprenorphine and methadone, but neither one of them could compare to those needles," says Derrick Brooks, 42, who's battled heroin his entire adult life. "Those needles put you in touch with stuff that's within you that no pill or nothing else could do."
District Judge Jamey H. Hueston thinks every addict should try it. "I am a huge fan of acupuncture," says Hueston, who presides over the city's drug court. "I have sent people in there kicking and screaming, resentful and scowling at me. And later they say, 'Judge, thank you.' "
Acupuncture is the key element of the Addicts Changing Together Substance Abuse Program administered by the city's drug court. Beginning for women in 1993 and for men three years later, the program steers nonviolent offenders to a rigorous 45-day behind-bars regimen in lieu of a longer prison sentence.
In addition to 25 acupuncture sessions, inmates get group and individual counseling, GED training and life-skills classes. Recently, the program added a family mediation option for addicts who long ago burned family bridges but want to mend them.
Participants reside in a separate dorm at the Baltimore City Detention Center, away from the general population, and are encouraged to rely on each other for support.
The theory behind the acupuncture treatment is that it releases naturally occurring chemicals in the body that ease the symptoms of drug withdrawal and help users fight their addiction.
An acupuncturist places superfine stainless-steel needles in five points in the outer ear, each one designed to evoke a particular feeling, from calming the spirit to acceptance to reminding a person of his own willpower. The recipient then sits quietly for 30 to 40 minutes. Lights are dimmed, and soft music plays to promote meditation.
