Pubdate: Wed, 20 Apr 2005
Source: Daily Herald, The (Provo, UT)
Section: Pg a6
Copyright: 2005 The Daily Herald
Contact:   http://www.harktheherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1480

DRUG OFFENDER

Investing In Drug Offenders

The lock'em-up-and-throw-away-the-key approach to the drug war doesn't work.

More than 80 percent of the inmates in the state prison have a drug problem 
of some kind, and in many cases addiction is why they're there. They either 
committed a drug offense or some other crime (such as robbery) to feed 
their drug habit.
Of those who have been jailed for a drug-related offense, about half are in 
for simple possession -- not drug dealing.

And all too often, the drug addict going into prison is still a drug addict 
when he comes out -- and he's likely to get into trouble again. According 
to the U.S. Justice Department, 45 percent of those convicted of possession 
will return to their habit after they leave prison.

Locking drug offenders away for a couple years is at best a temporary fix. 
Prisons are simply not the best places for addicts to change their lives. 
Rehabilitation is not the primary object of the Department of Corrections, 
despite its misleading name. Prisons are about punishment, not correction. 
And that begs the central question: Is punishment the best approach for a 
nonviolent offender who was only in possession of illegal drugs or using 
them himself?

Drug possession is fundamentally different from crimes of violence or greed 
and ought to be addressed in a way that makes a real difference to society. 
Just as a farmer who wants to drain a pond must first block the streams 
that feed it, the state should recognize addiction's physiological and 
psychological components. Locking away nonviolent offenders, and ignoring 
them for the duration of their prison terms, won't get the job done.

The Legislature is considering a common-sense approach, the Drug Offender 
Reform Act, which would set up a pilot program for rehabilitating 
first-time, nonviolent drug offenders. The idea is to offer a true 
life-correcting opportunity. The program would address the roots of 
addiction rather than forcing people into a prison boxes that will 
contribute virtually nothing to their lives and which, in fact, can make 
things worse.

The measure came before the Legislature in January, but it died on the last 
night of the session in a budget dispute. Legislators balked at the idea of 
spending $6 million for rehabilitation while foregoing a new veteran's 
nursing home. Gov. Huntsman put the rehabilitation issue on the agenda for 
this week's special session, and a bill was being drafted Tuesday.

The Legislature's earlier balking was a case of false economy. While there 
may be people who think $6 million for a drug-rehabilitation program is a 
waste of money, or at least a low priority, the act may save money in the 
long run.

It costs Utah about $24,000 a year to house a prisoner. By comparison, the 
per-person cost of the proposed bill -- in its first year, when 500 
offenders go through the program -- is $12,600. If the rehabilitation 
works, that's a one-time expense on that individual as opposed to the 
ongoing expense of keeping the offender behind bars for years.

Utah could also cut back on prison expenses if more offenders are diverted 
into rehabilitation rather than being locked up. The state wouldn't have to 
rent space in county jails for state inmates, nor would it have to consider 
expanding the existing prisons or building a new one, a proposition that 
makes this bill's expense look like pocket change.

Getting a first-time offender into rehabilitation helps reduce crime. With 
treatment for their drug problems, many of these people will not commit 
more serious crimes because there is no longer a drug habit to feed. They 
can become productive members of society rather than burdens.

Society pays for drug addiction one way or the other. It's better to invest 
a little money in treatment and help first-time offenders straighten out 
than to warehouse offenders in the state prison for at least twice the cost.

It's pay a little now, or pay a lot more later.
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MAP posted-by: Beth