Unsustainable Incarceration

"Put them in prison and make them worse criminals, or put them in rehab, possibly make them better, and save some money. Sounds like a no-brainer." These are the words of NY Times columnist Charles M. Blow. In today's Times, he contrasts the staggering cost of ineffectively incarcerating substance abusers with the savings and effectiveness that can be achieved through alternatives to incarceration. In a time of economic crisis the importance of spending public treasure wisely grows. It remains to be seen if the wisdom of policy makers will grow to meet this challenge.