Abstract
This is a policy analysis about drug treatment options compared to prison sentences for multiple-time drug offenders. A policy analysis simply evaluates a framework for whether a policy is effective and if the policy should be implemented and expanded. DTAP provides addicts facing charges another option to be rehabilitated rather than simply punished. DTAP flags individuals that meet the criteria of eligibility through the District Attorneys and have the choice to participate when substances were the contributing factor to their criminal activity. Recidivism rates for prison populations are already exceedingly high but mixed with addiction it becomes a repetitive cycle with little help from the prison system (NIJ, 2011). Through this program, recidivism rates dropped from 47% to 32% from the control group (Dynia, & Sung, 2000). Not only was this effective for participants and recidivism, doing a program such as DTAP is much less expensive than prisons. Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison saved $47,836 in criminal justice costs per participant, and for 149 participants saved over $7 million in just six years (Zarkin, et al., 2005). The policy analysis concludes that there are good studies showing the benefits of implementing and expanding DTAP to more than just the New York population.
Included in
DTAP: Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison
This is a policy analysis about drug treatment options compared to prison sentences for multiple-time drug offenders. A policy analysis simply evaluates a framework for whether a policy is effective and if the policy should be implemented and expanded. DTAP provides addicts facing charges another option to be rehabilitated rather than simply punished. DTAP flags individuals that meet the criteria of eligibility through the District Attorneys and have the choice to participate when substances were the contributing factor to their criminal activity. Recidivism rates for prison populations are already exceedingly high but mixed with addiction it becomes a repetitive cycle with little help from the prison system (NIJ, 2011). Through this program, recidivism rates dropped from 47% to 32% from the control group (Dynia, & Sung, 2000). Not only was this effective for participants and recidivism, doing a program such as DTAP is much less expensive than prisons. Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison saved $47,836 in criminal justice costs per participant, and for 149 participants saved over $7 million in just six years (Zarkin, et al., 2005). The policy analysis concludes that there are good studies showing the benefits of implementing and expanding DTAP to more than just the New York population.