RECIDIVISM RATE SHOWS NEED FOR CHANGES

Inmates Should Get More Treatment For Drug Abuse

The debate over what role prisons should play in our society has long left
reasonable people on opposite sides.

Some believe that sending people to prison should be about punishment and
that longer sentences will eventually lower crime rates. Others see
rehabilitation and preparing a person to return to the outside world as the
primary goal.

Kentucky, for the most part, has taken the tougher stance, choosing to
focus on punishment, with results that are mixed at best.

Studies show that fewer new inmates are entering state prisons, while the
numbers being released are on the rise. Department of Corrections estimates
indicate that state prisons could see a 20 percent drop in inmates by 2004.

While these figures are encouraging, the number of people returning to
prison remains alarmingly high. A recently released report put Kentucky's
recidivism rate at more than 30 percent. The recidivism rate measures the
number of individuals who return to jail within two years of being released.

The rate has actually declined from its 10-year high of 34.7 percent in
1994, but that's far from a reason to celebrate. Simply, inmates aren't
getting proper treatment and training in prison to become productive
members of society when they are released.

Tougher laws and longer sentences aren't having their intended impact. In
1998, as part of Gov. Paul Patton's comprehensive crime package, the
legislature made it mandatory that violent offenders serve 85 percent of
their sentences. And while it's too early to judge the full impact of that
initiative, violent offenders continue to have the highest recidivism rates
among all inmates.

Another part of that bill was to raise the maximum penalty for
manufacturing methamphetamine from 10 to 20 years. Few could make the case
that this has done anything to reduce the amount of meth being produced,
sold and used in western Kentucky.

The recidivism report also showed that nearly one out of every three drug
offenders returns to prison within two years. It's not surprising when
considering that most drug offenders commit crimes, not because they are
bad people, but because they are driven by addiction.

We're not necessarily saying they don't deserve punishment, but we agree
with Daviess Circuit Judge Tom Castlen who says that the way to truly
address this problem is through treatment.

"The discharged inmate has a responsibility too," Castlen said. "But when
you release someone from prison into the same environment and circumstances
they were in to begin with, it's not surprising we have that recidivism rate."

We've long supported the concept of the drug court -- a program that, in
its infancy, has shown much promise in Daviess County -- which offers
first-time, nonviolent drug offenders an intensive treatment program rather
than jail time. It's not only more effective than prison, it's cheaper. The
cost of housing an inmate in prison is about $16,000 a year, compared with
about $2,500 a year to treat a person in drug court. The recidivism report
- -- as it seems to do every year -- shows that too many people are returning
to jail. It's time the DOC and legislators look at ways to solve problems
through treatment, not just delay them through incarceration.