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Kiana Andres
Mr. Campopiano
Government
2 November 2015
Mock Congress Research Paper: Prison Reform
Since 2000, prison incarceration has increased dramatically; today there are
nearly over a million prisoners in federal and state prison. In the United States 50
percent of the prisoners in state or federal prison were convicted because of substance
abuse. When substance abusers are released, nearly 75 percent of those abusers will be
arrested again and again. 95 percent of drug abusers will continue to use drugs and fall
back in prison. Less than 20 percent of substance abusers get the attention they need in
order to recover and barely any receive any type of treatment. Non-violent drug
offenders should be sentenced to rehabilitation centers instead of prison because it
would help prisoners to get sober, mass incarceration would decrease and funding
would be lower.
Sending non-violent drug offenders to rehabilitation centers would help
substance abusers to get sober. Rehabilitation centers can offer prisoners the right
medical attention and support they need. According to the National Institute of Justice,
About 76.9 percent of drug offenders would later be rearrested, (nij.gov). When a
non-violent drug abuser is released there is a high chance that they will be arrested
again, which mean if we gave those people the medical treatments they needed there
would be a chance that they would be sober and stay sober. National Institute of Drug
Abuse states that, Approximately ten percent of the estimated 2.1 million juvenile
arrests in 2008 were consequences of either substance abuse or violation underage

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drinking laws,(drugabuse.gov). If there were rehabilitation centers those ten percent of

juveniles could has a high chance to not relapse. Relapse would continue the mass
incarceration in prison but if we had rehabilitation center we could insure that prisoner
stay sober even when they are released after their time.
With rehabilitation facilities can lower the mass incarceration population in
federal and state prisons. Non-violent drug abuser do not need to spend their sentence
without any help or support. In a article, Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for
Criminal Justice Populations, states that, In a survey regarding prisoners of both state
and federal prisons, the The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) made an estimate stating
that approximately 50 percent of prisoners met the criteria in the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) for drug abuse but less than twenty
percent actually receive treatment,(drugabuse.gov). Instead of just twenty percent of
those 50 percent, with rehabilitation centers it can increase that percent to almost
nearly the whole 50 percent. In an article called DrugFacts: Nationwide, states that In
2013, just over 2.8 million people used illegal drugs for the first time, which equated to
about 7,800 new users per day, more than half of which (about 54.1 percent) were under
the age of eighteen,(drugabuse.gov). With rehabilitation centers it can lower the
amount of first time users to less than half. With new building for prisoners to
rehabilitate is can reduce the total number of prisoner in federal and state prisons.
The funding for prisons would not be as high as now because the lowered
population, would mean less prisoners to look after. In an article called Treatments or
Incarceration, it states that Based on a 2004 report by the Justice Policy Institute,
incarceration can cost up to 20 thousand dollars per person each year whereas
rehabilitation can be as low as four thousand dollars annually,(pcao.pima.gov). Mass

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incarcerated prisons have an extremely high funding system but if we make

rehabilitation center we fund it with less than half the price it would take to maintain a
federal or state prison. In the same article it yet again states that An additional
cocaine-control dollar generates societal cost savings of fifteen cents if used for sourcecountry control, 32 cents if used for interdiction, and 52 cents if used for domestic
enforcement. In contrast, the savings from treatment programs are larger than control
costs: an additional cocaine control dollar generates societal cost savings of seven
dollars and forty-eight cents if used for treatment,(pcao.pima.gov). We can save seven
dollars and forty-eight cents with every prisoner we save with treatment.
Some people doubt that rehabilitation centers can not decrease mass
incarceration in federal and state prison because given the number of facilities now the
incarceration number is high and that some people think that rehab would not work
since the chemicals in drugs would have messed up their brain. An article called Is drug
addiction treatment worth its cost, states that every dollar invested in addiction
treatment programs yields a return of between $4 and $7 in reduced drug-related crime,
criminal justice costs, and theft. (drugabuse.gov). Non-violent substance abusers barely
even have to pay some facilities to get the recovery the need once they are out. In an
article in a book, Edward Madden states that, Again, there is nothing the penologist can
do to change the attitudes of such criminals once convicted. The only lesson they learn is
that they must be more careful next time, (Punishment: For and Against). We can not
force prisoner to take to the rehab treatment but it is the best shot we have in order to
lower incarceration in any federal or state prison.
In order to insure that prisoners are going to stay sober, lower incarceration and
lower funding, non-violent drug abusers should go to rehabilitation centers instead of

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prison. Our prisons are extremely overcrowded across the whole United States, there
has to be a fast action in order for it to be solved. Not only will it help improve others
personal lives but it improves families and loved ones. If we fund and build these
facilities we need in order to lower our high mass incarceration, we pay attention to
peoples need and tend to those who deserve to be just in prison for there own different
and more extreme crimes.

Works Cited
Durose, Matthew, Alexia Cooper, and Howard Snyder. "Recidivism." National
Institute of Justice. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
"Introduction." Introduction. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
Is drug addiction treatment worth its cost? National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
Maddern, Edward. Punishment: For & against. New York: Hart Pub., 1971.
Print.

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McVay, Doug, Vincent Schiraldi, and Jason Ziedenberg. "Treatment or

Incarceration?" Justice Policy Institution. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
"Nationwide Trends." DrugFacts:. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
"Pros and Cons of State-Funded Drug Rehab." New Beginnings Drug Rehab
State Funded Programs Comments. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.