PROFITS DRIVE PUSH TOWARD IMPRISONMENT

"Zero Tolerance" Drug Policy Is Not Cost-Efficient.

Editor, Commonwealth:

Tim Kalich's Jan. 11th editorial ("Who profits from imprisonment?") was
right on target.

For decades, entrenched interests riding the drug war gravy train have
dominated the drug policy debate. As a result, state budgets favor
incarceration over education.

Prison guard unions and for-profit prisons fund the campaigns of
politicians willing to support mandatory minimum sentencing and
zero-tolerance drug laws. This is the business approach to drug policy. The
more citizens behind bars, the more money the prison-industrial complex makes.

It's worth noting that tobacco use has declined considerably in recent
years. Public education efforts are paying off. Apparently, mandatory
minimum sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random drug testing and racial
profiling are not necessarily the most cost-effective means of discouraging
unhealthy choices.

Robert Sharpe

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington