I worked in prison mental health for 30 years. Many guys, particularly, just love jails and prison reception centers. Maybe "love" is putting it too strongly, but not much. They have absolutely no responsibilities or demands on their time. They get healthy. They work out. They get the necessary medical treatment. They read. They play chess or cards or dominos. They write letters. They party. They sleep. They have fun. If somebody is relatively social and has self-confidence, and maybe is a little street-wise, that helps, they do fine.
What they want, is to get out of jail. If there is a get-out-of-jail-free card. (I have infinite compassion and care for prisoners. But what i am writing I saw and experienced with my own eyes and ears.)
I am unsurprised if your son might prefer this, to a drug treatment program. Unless he is really motivated towards sobriety, he might see drug treatment as the equivalent of jail, or worse. Because in a jail there is a lot of liberty of conduct inside. There can be a lot of socializing and fun, once you get used to it.
