Health Economics Research Group, Department of Sociology, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Department of Economics, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124-2030, USA.
J Subst Abuse Treat. 2010 Jan;38(1):31-41. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2009.06.001. Epub 2009 Jul 23.
Substance use disorders are common conditions among repeat criminal offenders. Without addressing these underlying substance use behaviors, parolees are significantly more likely to recidivate within 1 year of release. New Jersey is one of the first states to actively pursue substance abuse treatment options for inmates who are in the final stages of their sentences. Given the fiscal realities of tax payer-supported programs, such initiatives must clearly demonstrate economic benefits for sustainability and growth. This article conducted one of the few comprehensive economic evaluations of prerelease substance abuse treatment to determine whether Community Education Centers' programs in New Jersey generated desirable outcomes, significant economic benefits, and positive net benefits. Relative to a matched comparison group of offenders who did not receive treatment, the intervention group returned an average economic benefit of $4,307 to $6,209 over the 1-year postrelease period. These economic benefits are underscored by the fact that the treatment program is housed in a separate facility, with a lower average per diem from that of the general inmate population. These results provide quantitative economic evidence that prerelease substance abuse treatment programs have the potential to reduce recidivism and save tax payer dollars without adding to existing prison resources.
物质使用障碍在重复犯罪者中很常见。如果不解决这些潜在的物质使用行为，假释人员在释放后 1 年内再次犯罪的可能性显著增加。新泽西州是首批积极为即将服刑期满的囚犯提供药物滥用治疗选择的州之一。鉴于纳税人支持项目的财政现实，此类举措必须明确证明具有可持续性和增长的经济效益。本文对假释前药物滥用治疗进行了为数不多的全面经济评估之一，以确定新泽西州社区教育中心的项目是否产生了理想的结果、显著的经济效益和积极的净效益。与未接受治疗的对照组罪犯相比，干预组在释放后 1 年内的平均经济收益为 4307 美元至 6209 美元。治疗计划设在一个单独的设施中，平均每人每天的费用低于普通囚犯，这一事实突出了这一经济效益。这些结果提供了定量的经济证据，表明假释前药物滥用治疗方案有可能减少累犯，节省纳税人的钱，而不会增加现有监狱资源。
