LOCKING DRUGS OUT OF PRISONS

It's not particularly surprising that Ohio's "zero-tolerance" policy toward
inmate drug and alcohol use has failed to stop the flow of drugs into
prison, nor that it failed to prevent the drug-related deaths of at least
eight inmates since 1995. Many inmates have long histories of drug abuse.

What is disturbing is that many inmates go to prison with severe
addictions, find ways to feed those addictions while incarcerated, and then
eagerly return to unfettered drug use upon their release. It is a vicious
and expensive cycle.

There are no reliable statistics on how many drug offenders return to
prison after their release. But it is widely known that the recidivism rate
of all inmates is 32 percent within three years of freedom. Drug offenders
are believed to contribute generously to this bleak statistic.

Clearly, Ohio must do a better job of treating incarcerated addicts.
Currently, Ohio operates five therapeutic communities within its prisons.
These are programs designed to immerse addicts in full-scale emotional and
psychological drug treatment. The programs, though costly and
labor-intensive, are believed to lead to a significant recidivism reduction
among inmates who enroll.

Given the state's budget problems, there is little hope of expanding these
programs, which doesn't bode well for incarcerated users or their future
victims. Prisons director Reginald Wilkinson says he hopes to experiment
eventually with a three-month drug program combined with extensive
post-incarceration treatment. Wilkinson says this will be the only way to
help thousands of offenders who go cold turkey while in prison, only to
return to their addictions upon release.

Inmates have been known to harvest yeast from bread to brew beer. And drugs
somehow continue to find ways to break into prison. Ohio must continue to
be vigilant about apprehending the flow of drugs as well as squashing the
illegal appetites of inmates.