DON'T REQUIRE ARREST BEFORE DRUG TREATMENT

In response to "Burke to get drug court" (Aug. 20):

Burke County's drug court is definitely a step in the right direction,
but an arrest should not be a prerequisite for treatment.

Would alcoholics seek help for their illness if doing so were
tantamount to confessing to criminal activity? Likewise, would putting
all incorrigible alcoholics behind bars and saddling them with
criminal records prove cost-effective?

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world,
with drug offenses accounting for the majority of federal
incarcerations.

This is big government at its worst. Average annual cost per inmate:
$26,134.

Further, the threat of prison inherent in coerced treatment can
backfire when put to use. Prisons transmit violent habits, rather than
reducing them.

Robert Sharpe

The writer is policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy.