According to a landmark scientific report released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), money would be saved and crime would be reduced if communities put into place effective treatments for drug abuse and addiction.
The report 'The Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations', outlines some of the strategies which have proven to be successful in the treatment of drug abusers who have fallen into crime and the criminal justice system.
The strategies say the researchers encourage a lower rate of drug abuse and less criminal activity.
The report offers research-based treatment solutions to judges and communities, and also provides information on how the criminal justice system can help reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases among drug abusing offenders.
It is estimated that 70 percent of people in state prisons and local jails have used drugs regularly, compared to approximately 9 percent in the general population, yet only one-fifth ever receive treatment.
The cost to society of drug abuse in the year 2002 was $181 billion - $107 billion associated with drug-related crime.
It has been seen that untreated substance abuse adds significant costs to communities, including violent and property crimes, prison expenses, court and criminal costs, emergency room visits, child abuse and neglect, lost child support, foster care and welfare costs, reduced productivity, unemployment, and victimization.
Many communities have shied away from treatment of drug abusing offenders because of concerns over costs but research shows that for every dollar spent on addiction treatment programs, there is a $4 to $7 reduction in the cost of drug-related crimes.
The report clearly acknowledges that drug addiction is a brain disease that affects behavior and offers 13 principles for recovery.
The principles are in brief as follows:-