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Substance Use Vs Incarceration Essay

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Substance Use, Incarceration and Race We need to have additional substance use treatment options instead of sending drug addicts straight to prison. Treatment costs tend to be far less than incarceration. There are higher rates of substance use within whites, but higher rates of African Americans being incarcerated for drugs. These factors have been proven to increase the rates of incarceration and substance use. The recidivism rate is also higher among inmates with substance use issues. Treatment helps prepare addicts to return to society and a chance to choose something different. Offering addicts treatment rather than incarceration, will allow them to have a better chance at their future. In 2009 African Americans were incarcerated at a 6.7% higher than whites and 2.6% higher in the US than Hispanics. Part of the reason being there is additional crimes in lower income neighborhoods, there are less people …show more content…

For example, in 2012 the US spent $81 billion on corrections alone. That has increased at triple the rate the US spends on education. If we offered treatment instead the cost would decrease by millions. The recidivism rate would decrease and save money that way also. There would be higher employment rates because they wouldn’t have had went to prison and have felonies on their record. Housing becomes a struggle if you have a criminal record, landlord will tend to not rent to you. Landlords are often charged less fees to not rent to people with a criminal record. This will force addicts to return to communities that have higher drug and crime rates. It’s almost impossible for addicts to stay sober and away from a life of crime when forced back into that environment. It seems that we set addicts up for failure when we give them treatment and turn around and send them back into the situation that got them to begin

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