Prison Drug Rehab Saves Money, Boosts Public Safety
CHESTER, PA Christian Science Monitor; "States Experiment With Specialized Drug Prisons"; November 3, 1998, p4 (Stephanie Baum) The State Correctional Institute in Chester, Pennsylvania is one of three prisons in the nation that specializes in the rehabilitation of drug- and alcohol-addicted prisoners. The medium-security facility has drug counselors on-site 12 hours a day, with treatment options ranging from Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to one-on-one counseling sessions. Additionally, inmates who qualify can move to a halfway house to
continue treatment and participate in a work/education program.
The idea behind the facility is to prevent recidivism. Seven of every 10 inmates have substance-abuse problems and treatment of these problems is expected to reduce the rate of repeat-offenders. According to a study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, inmates who do not receive adequate treatment for substance abuse problems are more likely to become repeat offenders. Steve Amos, an official of the Department of Justice Corrections Program, argues that "what drives our prison growth is drugs. If we want to impact public safety, we need to treat those people." The program costs an average of $3,000 per inmate and lasts nine to 12 months. Comparatively, one year in prison costs $30,000, Amos said.
Drug Addicts in Prison Up, Drug Treatment Down
NEW YORK, NY - The New York Times; January 6, 1999 (Fox Butterfield) - The proportion of new prison inmates who were drug users at the time of their arrest increased this decade, while drug treatment in state and federal prisons fell sharply, according to a study released by the Justice Department.
"What is particularly tragic," said Richard Rosenfeld, a professor of criminology at the University of Missouri at St. Louis, "is that drug treatment in prison, where it can be coerced, has proved to be effective as an anti-crime program. This is an unintended consequence of prison expansion, [since] each time we spend a dollar on building a new prison or expanding an existing one, it is one less dollar for drug treatment."
President Clinton announced that he would propose $215 million in his next budget for testing and treating prisoners for drug use. About $115 million is currently budgeted for combating drug use by prisoners, parolees and probationers. |
