The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

People convicted of drug crimes have a 60 percent rate of returning to prison after being released, said Roger E. Walker Jr., director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, at a news conference Friday at the Madison County Administration Building in downtown Edwardsville.

"They are put back in jail before the ink is dry on the parole papers," he said.

Meth is a particularly addictive drug, so treatment is especially important to prevent a relapse, Walker said.

The state has one meth prison, the Sheridan Correctional Center in northern Illinois, where offenders who participate have had significant success in staying out of jail, officials said. The Sheridan prison would be expanded under the governor’s proposal.

"At Sheridan, we’ve seen a 50 percent reduction in recidivism (returning to prison after being released)," state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville.

The governor’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes $7 million to create a 200-bed meth prison at the Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center in East St. Louis and to make the entire prison a fully dedicated drug prison and "re-entry program," state officials said.

Walker said that after an offender was convicted and sentenced, his staff members would determine whether that offender would be eligible to get treatment at the meth prison.

Inmates selected for the program would have to show that they are ready, he said. An addict taped in a video shown at the news conference said it takes two years before meth users can get their minds away from the meth "high" long enough to concentrate on treatment.

Another top state official urged people not to be too cynical about offering treatment for meth addiction.

"I am here to tell you, based on evidence, science and research, that one can conclude that treatment works," said Theodora Binion-Taylor, director of the Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse under the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Walker said offering treatment is a way to prevent addicts from committing the violent crimes that concern the public. The parolees will be held accountable, he said.

"Making offenders feel more accountable for their actions increases public safety," Walker said.

"Once you get out, we’re going to watch you. If you fail, you will go back to prison," Hoffman said.

"The impending threat of immediate incarceration does focus one’s mind," said state Sen. William Haine, D-Alton.

However, Haine cautioned that people should not expect immediate results.

"It will work over time," he said. "It is not a silver bullet. It’s trench warfare."

©The Telegraph 2006