Pubdate: Thu, 19 Dec 2002
Source: Metro Pulse (TN)
Copyright: 2002 Metro Pulse
Contact:  http://www.metropulse.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2453
Author: Robert Sharpe

STOP LOCKING 'EM UP!

Tennessee is not the only state grappling with overcrowded jails. Many 
states facing budget shortfalls are pursuing alternatives to incarceration 
for non-violent offenders. With violent crime continuing along a downward 
trend, the drug war is the principal reason the United States now has the 
highest incarceration rate in the world.

A study conducted by the RAND Corporation found that every dollar invested 
in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers $7.46. There is far more at 
stake than tax dollars. The drug war is not the promoter of family values 
that some would have us believe.

Children of inmates are at risk of educational failure, joblessness, 
addiction and delinquency. Not only do the children lose out, but society 
as a whole does too. Incarcerating non-violent drug offenders alongside 
hardened criminals is the equivalent of providing them with a 
taxpayer-funded education in criminal behavior.

Turning drug users into unemployable ex-cons is a senseless waste of tax 
dollars. It's time to declare peace in the failed drug war and begin 
treating all substance abuse, legal or otherwise, as the public health 
problem it is. Destroying the futures and families of citizens who make 
unhealthy choices doesn't benefit anyone.

Robert Sharpe
Drug Policy Alliance,
Washington, D.C.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart