ADDICTED OFFENDERS NEED TREATMENT, NOT PRISON

Chicago -- Recent articles and columns in the Chicago Tribune have focused
on the ineffectiveness of the "war on drugs," the lengthy incarceration
rates for drug offenders, the common-sense approach of drug courts and the
rising rates of heroin abuse among suburban teens.

All these stories are related. For too long, our public policies have
regarded addiction as a criminal justice issue, when in fact it is our
nation's No. 1 public health problem.

Misguided sentencing practices have sent thousands of nonviolent substance
abusers to jails and prisons who would have been better placed in
community-based drug treatment programs.

Without intervention, addicted offenders serve their time, then return to
their communities with their addictions intact, only tore-offend and get
arrested again. A primary reason for this repetitive cycle is that
continued drug abuse over time alters the information circuits of the
brain, causing impairment in reasoning, decision-making and the ability to
perceive consequences for one's actions.

Incarceration does not alter the addicted brain's craving for drugs.
Therefore, even in cases where treatment is provided in jails or prisons,
follow-up treatment in the community is necessary to help individuals
"reprogram" their brains to function normally again in day-to-day activities.

Public sentiment now is beginning to recognize the ineffectiveness of
previous "war on drugs" tactics. There are calls for more sensible,
cost-efficient and effective ways to deal with drug abuse, both as a
community safety concern and as a public health issue. Fortunately,
Illinois is ahead of the rest of the country in terms of creating and
implementing effective alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent drug
offenders. For 25 years, the statewide TASC (Treatment Alternatives for
Safe Communities) program has served as a resource to the criminal courts
by providing screening, assessment, placement into treatment and ongoing
monitoring of nonviolent offenders deemed eligible by statute.

Rather than creating an either-or scenario where treatment is mandated over
incarceration, the TASC program allows for judicial discretion in
sentencing. TASC combines the clinical aspects of treatment with the
sanctions of the court, helping offenders to overcome their addictions
while remaining accountable for their behavior.

While Illinois has the infrastructure to manage large numbers of addicted
offenders, much remains to be done. Interventions for addicted offenders
are needed not only in the courts but throughout the justice system, from
arrest through sentencing, probation, incarceration and release.
Furthermore, because recovery is a long and often difficult process, these
programs need access to adequate and appropriate treatment resources in the
community.

To continually incarcerate people in response to a public health problem is
the ultimate waste of human potential. When we incarcerate rather than
treat addicted offenders, not only do we pay undue jail and prison costs,
but we further burden the community with families torn apart by addiction
and incarceration. With effective treatment and close monitoring, we can
help nonviolent drug offenders become productive citizens and restore their
families and communities to health.

Melody M. Heaps, President TASC Inc