INCARCERATION NO CURE FOR ADDICTION

CHICAGO - The U.S. Justice Department's recent report that the number of
Americans in jail has increased 9 percent despite a slight decline in crime
rate (Main news, Jan. 19) highlights the ever-present problem of what to do
with the large volumes of non-violent, drug-involved offenders who are
crowding our courts, jails and corrections systems.

People who have committed drug-related offenses represent by far the
fastest-growing jail and prison population over the last two decades. When
considered in conjunction with the Tribune's recent report that the number
of hard-core drug users in Cook County may be almost triple the original
estimates (Metro, Dec. 12), it becomes evident that hundreds of thousands of
individuals are cycling through our courts and corrections systems, yet few
are being rehabilitated. The burden on our criminal justice and other social
systems is overwhelming.

Fortunately, there have been recent efforts in Illinois to begin to manage
this problem by identifying offenders in need of substance-abuse treatment
and using the sanctions of the criminal justice system to steer individuals
through the rehabilitation process. Judges, policymakers and community
treatment providers are recognizing that incarceration will never
significantly reduce the incidence of addiction-driven criminal behavior -
because incarceration does not cure addiction.

There is a new emphasis on developing effective interventions - from drug
courts to day reporting centers to corrections-based treatment programs -
that can successfully address the unique clinical needs of this population,
monitor their rehabilitation and help reintegrate them back into their
communities. Supporting this trend has been a flood of independent research
that demonstrates that community-based substance abuse treatment systems
working in conjunction with the criminal justice system are not only
successful in reducing drug use and recidivism but are also far less
expensive for taxpayers.

Despite these encouraging efforts, the major hindrance in effecting major
change is the allocation of resources. Latest statistics suggest that fewer
than 5 percent of the drug-involved offenders in our jail and prison systems
have access to treatment resources, and only a fraction of the government's
expenditures on drug control is allocated to treatment.

As our understanding of the nature of substance abuse and its relationship
to crime improves, so must our approach to treating the substance-abuse
problem. Traditional incarceration alone will not resolve the complex issues
surrounding substance abuse and addiction. We must develop integrated
service systems that can effectively address these serious issues if we are
to have any success in our battle against this pervasive problem.

Melody M. Heaps
President, TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities)