PRISONS DON'T IMPACT REAL CRIMINAL PROBLEM

In a recent opinions column, Daniel Scarpinato asked what's so wrong with
building prisons. I'm surprised he could seriously ask that question.
Prisons do not solve our crime problems or instill respect for the law in
their occupants. The majority of our quite large prison population is
composed of non-violent drug offenders. We spend somewhere around 20-40
thousand dollars per year to keep a drug offender in prison. Treatment
would cost less than a few thousand dollars per year, yet the majority of
prisoners who request drug treatment cannot get it due to insufficient
funding. This seems highly illogical, since treatment programs have been
shown to reduce recidivism from 67 percent to 13 percent.

The problem goes beyond the fact that treatment is not available for drug
abusers. There is a big difference between use and abuse. This is most
obvious when considering alcohol, one of the few semi-legal recreational
drugs. Many people use alcohol responsibly to relax and have fun. Many
others become alcoholics and/or engage in binge drinking. Abusers harm
themselves and can cause problems for society. Users are generally
responsible and productive citizens who would react negatively if forced
into a treatment program (or prison) they didn't need. The same is true for
users/abusers of illicit drugs. Our legal system has yet to make the
distinction between these groups however. Until it does, we will continue
buying new prisons without really impacting the criminal problem.

Kris Brown electrical engineering senior