DO DRUG COURTS SAVE MONEY?
A variety of studies from the National Institutes of Health, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, and other prestigious institutions have all shown that drug treatment reduces drug use by 50 to 60 percent and arrests for violent and non-violent criminal acts by 40 percent or more. Drug abuse treatment reduces the risk of HIV infection, and interventions to prevent HIV are much less costly than treating the person with AIDS. Treatment tied to vocational services improves the prospects for employment, with 40-60 percent more individuals employed. Successful drug treatment takes a person who is now seen as only a drain on a community’s resources and returns the individual to productive membership in society. According to several conservative estimates, every $1 invested in addiction treatment programs yields a return of between $4 and $7 in reduced drug-related crime, criminal justice costs, and theft alone. When savings related to health care are included, total savings c
