The United States houses around 4% of the world’s population, but approximately 33% of the world’s prisoners (Lee, 2020). Currently, the United States has adopted a punishment model for crime, in hopes that criminalized behavior will become less desirable. This model is associated with various movements such as the Tough on Crime movement and the War on Drugs, both popularized in the 70’s after crime surged in the 1960’s (Lee, 2020; Murphy, 2013; Tsai & Gu, 2019). While the goal has been to decrease drug dependence, incarceration rates continue to rise and addiction remains a major issue within the general and prison populations and continues to disproportionately affect minority groups (Clement et al., 2019; Murphy, 2013; Tsai & Gu, 2019). After over 50 years of staying ‘tough’, many are asking if this approach is causing more harm than good. This review seeks to identify barriers to receiving evidence-based treatment for Substance Use Disorders.