Research shows drug treatment reduces crime: In Maryland, increased availability of treatment improves public safety. Del. Bill Bronrott, chairman of the House Committee on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, wants to increase the tax on booze in Maryland for the first time in decades in order to raise money for more drug treatment. He forwarded this report from the Justice Policy Institute (JPI), posted yesterday. 
 
Community-based substance abuse treatment reduces crime rates and helps states reduce corrections costs, according to a new policy brief released by the Justice Policy Institute (JPI).
 
The Substance Abuse Treatment and Public Safety brief found that the sooner substance abuse is treated, the bigger the long-term cost savings and public safety benefits. At a time when some have raised concerns about the release of people convicted of drug offenses from federal prison due to U.S. Sentencing Commission reforms, the research shows that substance abuse treatment helps individuals transition successfully from the criminal justice system to the community. Maryland lawmakers are also debating ways of making bigger investments in drug treatment and drug sentencing reform.
 
"This new report confirms that investing in drug and alcohol treatment is both socially responsible and fiscally prudent and should be a top public policy priority," said Bronrott. "The report documents the tangible results of treatment, such as cutting crime, reclaiming lives, and making healthier families and safer communities. More investments in these lifesaving and cost effective services are needed now to expand the benefits of treatment that this report so clearly demonstrates."
 
The policy brief -- the last in a series that examines the impact of positive social investments on public safety -- found that:
 
Increases in admissions to substance abuse treatment are associated with reductions in crime rates. Admissions to drug treatment increased 37.4 percent nationally and federal spending on drug treatment increased 14.6 percent from 1995 to 2005. During the same period, violent crime fell 31.5 percent. Notably, in Maryland, counties that relied on drug treatment were more likely to achieve significant crime rate reductions than those that relied on drug imprisonment. Eight of the 12 jurisdictions that made greater use of treatment have seen crime rates fall by 10 percent or more compared to just two of the jurisdictions that made greater use of imprisonment.
 
Increased admissions to drug treatment are associated with reduced incarceration rates. States with a higher drug treatment admission rate than the national average send, on average, 100 fewer people to prison per 100,000 in the population than states that have lower than average drug treatment admissions. California, in particular, experienced decreases in incarceration rates when jurisdictions increased the number of people sent to drug treatment.
 
Substance abuse treatment prior to contact with the justice system yields public safety benefits early on. Research has shown that drug treatment programs improve life outcomes for individuals and decrease the likelihood that a drug-involved person will be admitted to the criminal justice system.
 
Substance abuse treatment helps individuals transition successfully from the criminal justice system to the community. Community-based drug treatment programs reduce the chance that a person will become involved in the criminal justice system after release from prison. 
 
Substance abuse treatment is more cost-effective than prison or other punitive measures. The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) found that community-based drug treatment is extremely beneficial in terms of cost, especially compared to prison. Every dollar spent on drug treatment in the community is estimated to return $18.52 in benefits to society in terms of reduced crime costs to taxpayer.
 
Maryland continues to spend far more to imprison people convicted of drug offenses than it spends to treat drug abusers referred by the criminal justice system. In 2006, for every dollar spent on drug imprisonment, the state of Maryland invested an estimated 26 cents on the treatment of drug abusers referred by the criminal justice system.
 
"This research confirms that incarcerating people who live with addiction is both costly and ineffective," says JPI Executive Director Sheila Bedi. "At a time when Maryland's prison population is on the rise, we need to help individuals struggling to overcome substance abuse receive treatment in their communities in order to save on prison costs and promote public safety."
 
In 2008, the legislature and administration will have another opportunity to revise Maryland's drug laws. In Maryland, reforms to the state's drug sentencing guidelines are needed. A sub-committee of the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy is reviewing how guideline reforms might keep people who commit low-level, nonviolent drug offenses in the public health system rather than jail or prison.
 
After four years of declining prison populations, the most recent national prison survey showed Maryland's prison population is, again, on the rise.
 
"We are glad to see the research documenting the benefit of funding drug treatment programs, including promoting public safety," says Naomi Long, director of the DC Metro Project of the Drug Policy Alliance. "However, until the state reforms its drug laws, we will continue to needlessly waste money on prison beds."
 
For more information on this or other JPI research, contact LaWanda Johnson at 202-558-7974 ext. 308.
 
The Justice Policy Institute is a non-profit public policy and research institute dedicated to ending society's reliance on incarceration and promoting effective and just solutions to social problems. To learn more about our research and publications visit www.justicepolicy.org