ADDICTION TREATMENT IS A GOOD INVESTMENT FOR PRISONS

Every community in Wisconsin can see the ill effects of alcohol and drug
abuse through increased crime, domestic violence and other maladies.

So it should not surprise us to learn that 70 percent of all offenders
entering the Wisconsin prison system have alcohol or drug addiction
problems. And if they serve their time without getting treatment, chances
are they will relapse when they are released - and engage in the same bad
behavior that got them into prison in the first place.

Think about this: In 1990 there were 6,500 inmates in Wisconsin prisons. By
2000, that number had increased to 21,000. Today it's closer to 22,000.

Wisconsin needs to increase its capability to provide treatment for inmates
to kick their drug and alcohol habits.

And the Wisconsin Department of Corrections has been increasing the number
of programs. That's a positive sign. In the two-year budget period from
2003 through 2005, the state created new alcohol treatment centers in
prisons near Oshkosh and Racine. Each one had 150 beds. Under that budget,
proposed by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and approved by the
Republican-controlled Legislature, there was $1.7 million provided for
alcohol and drug treatment programs. This current budget proposes
increasing that to $2.7 million. The Legislature will have to weigh this
proposal against other equally legitimate needs in the state budget.

But the idea of improving the state's ability to provide treatment programs
in an attempt to get inmates to succeed at turning around their lives when
they are released only makes sense.

Prisons serve to punish offenders and to keep the public safe from offenders.

Alcohol and drug abuse is no excuse for illegal behavior. But if we can
prevent some of that behavior in the future by dealing with addictions now,
it is well worth the cost.