THE MANY BENEFITS OF TREATING SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Re: "Freedom behind bars" (Insight, June 4):

Jim and Ed Gogek are correct and accurate in their presentation of
in-prison substance-abuse treatment and the need for mandatory treatment,
after-care and 12-step involvement. It is, however, a limited view of the
social impact and benefits to society!

I have worked in the treatment of addicts and violent offenders at Donovan
State Prison -- adolescents involved in substance abuse, gang activity and
behavioral problems; young children, the victims of neglect and abuse;
incest and rape victims; and functional adults with drinking problems. What
do they have in common? They and/or someone in their family have drug or
alcohol problems.

Providing substance-abuse treatment for criminals not only reduces the
crime rate, but also the cost of building and maintaining new prisons,
per-capita police protection, courts, welfare rolls and child protective
services, insurance rates and domestic violence programs. The potential
savings from "sane" treatment investments are phenomenal.

Davis S. Gray, San Diego

Clearly, simply being in prison is punishment. But without rehabilitation,
it's almost pointless to dicker about what's a fair term. Most former
inmates will return to crime. The high incidence of drug abuse and broken
lives (not necessarily in that order) virtually ensure it.

Prison time without rehab is cruel and unusual punishment. And the numbers
reveal that we're beyond individual aberration and into major societal
malfunction.

In a business that is seemingly so monolithic, how did the Corcoran
substance-abuse treatment facility come into being all by itself? How soon
will it be adopted system-wide? If not, why not?

Ralph Whitaker