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Treatment over Incarceration

It seems even in the home of the draconian Rockefeller Laws, the alarming cost of imprisoning drug offenders is making alternative approaches attractive. Talk Left posted an interesting article this morning on the first prosecution-run program in the country to divert prison-bound felony offenders to residential drug treatment. The offender is convicted but the sentence is deferred pending the successful completion of a treatment program at which time the charges are dismissed. Failure results in fast track incarceration.

The program is only open to non-violent offenders but that should still help in prison overcrowding in New York State. According to the King's County AG's Office press release:

The number of offenders in New York State prisons for drug offenses has increased dramatically, from 3,000 at the onset of the crack epidemic in 1986, to more than 20,000 today. Almost one-half of all state prison inmates are drug offenders, many of whom committed non-violent crimes to support their drug habit.

The program shows great success both in rehabilitation and cost effectiveness. The numbers speak for themselves.

As of March 2004, 1950 defendants have been accepted into the program, 390 are still in treatment and 743 have completed the program and have had their charges dismissed..... Eighty-nine percent of DTAP's graduates who are able to work are employed.

....analysis of the savings realized on correction, health care, public assistance and recidivism costs combined with the tax revenues generated by the DTAP graduates reveals that diversion to DTAP has resulted in economic benefits of $28.8 million dollars per the 743 graduates.

....DTAP graduates had re-arrest rates that were 33% lower; re-conviction rates that were 45% lower; and were 87% less likely to return to prison than those of a matched comparison group.

The program actively seeks repeat offenders and provides assistance in obtaining and maintaining employment. A welcome contrast to the mindset that created the mandatory minimums and zero tolerance laws that caused the overcrowding in the prisons in the first place.