The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

A new study from the Justice Policy Institute found that for each dollar Maryland spends on jails and prisons, it still only spends 26 cents on treating adults referred from the criminal-justice system.

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has vowed to shift more resources into treatment, and the number of people referred by the courts into treatment rose 28 percent between 2000 and 2004. At the same time, the state's incarceration rate fell 7 percent.

Study author Kevin Pranis said that progress on changing the state's "War on Drugs" mentality varies by jurisdiction. "We need to look at what some counties are doing well and what others need help on," he said. "We are looking at what they do with state money."

Some advocates say that a poor local economy has slowed progress on the initiative by cutting state spending. The budget of the state's alcohol and drug agency rose $7 million, to $137.5 million, this year, but experts say at least another $4 million in annual treatment funding is needed. The new report recommends that Maryland lawmakers add $30 million to the 2008 budget to catch up with rising costs and fill service gaps.

Ehrlich's treatment-oriented Project RESTART was launched in 2003, but only received $5.2 million for two pilot prison-based treatment programs in 2006. Most treatment funding has gone to in-prison programs rather than community-based programs to help offenders once they are released.

"RESTART is a great idea, but compared to the scale of the problem, it's a small piece. It's something that needs to happen behind the walls, but when people get out, I think the Department of Public Safety would agree they need to continue to get support on the outside," said Pranis. "Treatment in the community is critical."
http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2006/study-cites-slow-progress-in.html?log-event=sp2f-view-item&nid=30376044&print=t