TREATING ADDICTS CAN CUT JAIL COSTS

Prestera Center commends The Herald-Dispatch for the recent editorial,
"Rising Costs of Jails Demand New Approach." We would like to add the
following comments.

The Division of Criminal Justice Services' Statistical Analysis Center,
partnering with the George Washington University's Institute on Crime,
Justice and Corrections provides the states with a forecast of the prison
population for the next 10 years.

They have provided the following information about West Virginia:

While other states are experiencing a decline in offenders sentenced by the
courts, West Virginia continues to increase. In fact, West Virginia has the
fastest growing prison population in the nation. Between 2000-01, West
Virginia's prison population grew by about 9 percent, the highest growth
rate of any state in the nation.

Compared with national trends, West Virginia's state prison population
currently contains a greater percentage of violent offenders and property
offenders than the nation as a whole.

If current trends continue unchanged, our state's inmate population will
grow to 5,853 by the end of 2007 and 6,774 by the end of 2012.

What is the solution for the projected growth and accompanying costs of the
prison population?

One option is to continue to sentence offenders with chemical dependencies
under the state's current policies, provide additional appropriations to
fund the number of additional prison beds required for the projected growth
and fund additional institutional-based substance abuse treatment programs
to accommodate the projected growth.

Or we could opt for another alternative that numerous other states have
adopted: Develop, implement, and adequately fund an infrastructure of
community-based substance abuse treatment programs targeting chemically
dependent offenders to address the projected growth.

Will diversion programs produce cost savings? Early indications say yes.
States that have turned to treatment programs as an alternative to
incarceration have discovered that alternatives to incarceration can save
millions. The average annual cost of incarceration for a state inmate is
$20,142, while the average annual cost of treatment is approximately $3,000
(according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy).

Diverting nonviolent offenders into treatment programs:

- - Allows the state to reduce the demand for prison beds.

- - Delays the construction of new prisons.

- - Reduces the number of inmates released to state parole supervision.

- - Provides opportunities for fiscal savings in state and regional prison
operations, parole operations and prosecution costs.

- - And helps keep these offenders out of the "revolving door syndrome" of the
criminal justice system.

Many states are already working on developing diversion programs. A recent
study in Minnesota concluded that they could save more than $31 million per
year in taxpayer funds if they implemented diversion programs statewide.
Arizona, Washington, Kansas and California are also actively developing
diversion programs for nonviolent offenders who have drug or alcohol
problems.

Preventing relapse, a major symptom of drug dependency, is crucial for the
offender population.

For addicts involved with the criminal justice system, a relapse to drug use
is likely to coincide with a return to criminal activity. The reverse is
also true. A return to criminal behavior is likely to cause relapse to
alcohol and/or other drug use.

If West Virginia wants to address the high cost of keeping people in jail,
community-based diversion programs for chemically dependent offenders is a
route worthy of serious consideration.

Bob Hansen is executive director of Prestera Center for Mental Health
Services Inc. in Huntington. Jenna Bevino is project coordinator of
Treatment Access for Rural Populations at Prestera's Addictions Recovery
Center.