Pubdate: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA) Copyright: 2007 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Contact: http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/letters/sendletter.html Website: http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1340/a04.html Author: Robert Sharpe SPEND MONEY ON SOLUTIONS, NOT JAIL Mandatory minimum prison sentences have done little other than give the land of the free the highest incarceration rate in the world. The deterrent value of tough drug laws is grossly overrated. During the crack epidemic of the 1980s, New York City chose the zero-tolerance approach. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry was smoking crack and America's capital had the highest per-capita murder rate in the country. Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously. Simply put, the younger generation saw firsthand what crack was doing to their older siblings and decided for themselves that crack was bad news. This is not to say nothing can be done about hard drugs like crack or methamphetamine, the latest headline grabber. Access to substance-abuse treatment is critical. Diverting resources away from prisons and into cost-effective treatment would save both tax dollars and lives. Robert Sharpe Sharpe is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake