CLINTON ADMINISTRATION TARGETS INMATE DRUG USE

WASHINGTON (January 5) -- Citing new figures which show a growing tie
between drug use and crime, President Bill Clinton unveiled a new
budget proposal Tuesday aimed at curbing drug use by prisoners,
probationers and parolees.

The president announced a $215 million plan which includes funds to
help state and local governments drug test prisoners, probationers and
parolees.

"To probationers and parolees we want to send a message: If you want
to keep your freedom you have to keep free of drugs," Clinton said. He
also said those still in prison should expect to remain there if they
stay on drugs. The proposal represents more than a doubling of the
estimated $100 million spent on combatting drug use by prisoners last
year.

The White House announcement of the new initiatives came shortly after
a new Justice Department report showed about three-quarters of all
U.S. prisoners were involved with alcohol or drug abuse prior to their
arrests.

The results of a 1997 survey of the nation's prisoners by the Bureau
of Justice Statistics shows a notable increase in the tie between
substance abuse and the commission of other crimes during the past six
years. In state prisons, 57 percent of inmates used drugs or alcohol
prior to their crime, up from 50 percent in a 1991 survey. Among
federal prisoners, the figure climbed from 32 to 50 percent during
that period.

Attorney General Janet Reno and Drug Policy Chief General Barry
McCaffrey were among those who joined the president for the unveiling
of the anti-drug initiatives. One proposal calls for funding new drug
courts, a concept which Reno helped pioneer. Under the plan, these
courts which address only drug-related issues would increase from 400
to 1,000 by the end of next year.

McCaffrey said the proposals are a "no-brainer" because prison-based
drug treatment is far less expensive than costs resulting from
untreated addicts.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a leading proponent of
intense drug testing for prisoners, also attended the ceremony and
predicted the program will make "a huge dent" in the crime problem.

"Addicts under the supervision of the criminal justice system use
about half of all the cocaine and heroin used in the United States.
It's a staggering statistic," Townsend said.

The lone Republican to speak at the White House ceremony was Jeff
Griffin, mayor of Reno, Nevada, who pledged the support of the
National Conference of Mayors to the administration's anti-drug proposals.

More than one million men and women are currently behind bars. More
than 90 percent are in state prisons and local jails. The federal
prison system holds about 90,000 inmates.