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Drug abuse causes huge consequences in our world today. Sometimes we fail to really see the costs associated with substance abuse, and many people would be shocked to find out just how far-reaching the effects of it are.
The numbers are staggering – $467 billion is spent by the government annually to deal with substance abuse. 96% of that money is spent on managing crime, paying for health care for addicts, and cleaning up after a person is addicted. That means that nearly all of the $467 billion is spent trying to dig out of the huge hole that has been created, rather than on preventing the problem or effectively treating addiction.
“Human wreckage” is the mess that people’s lives become when they get involved with drugs. We are spending incredibly large amounts of money to clean up the human wreckage: putting drug addicts in prison, taking care of their children and homes, giving them life-saving medical care. Yet then we send them right back to the streets to do it all again once their sentence has been served.
Costs
It costs money to find and arrest drug addicts. It takes money to prosecute them and send them to jail or prison. It costs an estimated $48,000 a year to keep an addict in prison, and while they are there they will probably need health care for their addiction, health care for various other ailments, and dental care. It costs money to clean up after a drug addict has been busted- to safely discard of a meth lab or toxic chemicals in their home or apartment. Sometimes the homes are in such bad disrepair that they sit vacant, bringing the whole neighborhood down. It costs money to take a drug addict’s children into protective custody and then to keep them in the foster care system. All of these costs are things that don’t do anything for the underlying problem of drug addiction, and therefore are not helping stop the cycle. These criminals will eventually be released from custody, many of them go back to drugs and crime, and many of them will be arrested again.
Money Better Spent Elsewhere
We know of a solution. We know that providing treatment for substance abuse is much more effective in straightening someone’s life out then jail time is. It costs $4,000-$5,000 a year to treat an addict, compared to $48,000 to house them in prison. Each $1 invested in drug and alcohol treatment saves about $7 in criminal justice costs and nearly $14 when health care is included (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Treating someone for substance abuse instead of sticking them in jail for a time works better and costs less, but it isn’t being put into practice. Some people don’t like the idea of any criminals getting treatment instead of serving jail time. Some parts of the government can’t seem to find the extra money needed to get treatment and prevention programs going. Many people simply don’t know where to start. That’s why organizations and programs that work to rehabilitate criminals and get their lives back together are so important.
Sources
6 complete county drug court program
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