Facts on Substance Abuse and Costs of Incarceration
· According to a report by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, an average of about 80% of all offenders in federal, state or local jails or prisons are substance-involved inmates.
· In 2012, the average incarceration cost for Georgia was $21,039 per inmate per year--$57.64 per day.
· Incarceration for illegal drugs cost more than $51 billion annually.
Department of Corrections 2015 reported those released from prison back to their home county:
Lamar County - 30 males and 3 females with a total of 33.
Butts County - 41 males and 3 females with a total of 44.
Monroe County - 50 males and 5 females with a total of 55.
That is a total of 132 individuals who were released in the Towaliga Circuit alone.
A recent National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse report found that only 11% of all inmates with substance abuse and addiction disorders receive any treatment during their incarceration. That means that out of those 132 people released within the Towaliga Circuit, only about 14 of those people would have received proper treatment (118 receiving no treatment.)
Cost-effectiveness of Drug Courts
According to Bhati et. al (2008) Drug Courts produce an average of $2.21 in direct benefits to the criminal justice system for every $1 invested. When Drug Courts target their services to the more serious, higher-risk drug offenders, the average return on investment was determined to be even higher: $3.36 for every $1 invested.
When other indirect cost-offsets to the community were also taken into account—such as savings from reduced victimization and healthcare service utilization —studies have reported economic benefits ranging up to $27 for every $1 invested.
Drug Courts produce cost savings ranging from $3,000 to $13,000 per client. These cost savings reflect reduced prison costs, reduced revolving-door arrests and trials, and reduced victimization.