These cases, however, are estimated at only between 5 and 10 percent of our total prison population. More than half our prison population have been jailed for non-violent, drug related offenses. Most of these are low-level street dealers who are addicts themselves. We can go on taking these small-time offenders and transforming them into potentially violent, truly dangerous criminals through the relentless enlargement and stubborn reduplication of our current, obviously ineffective practices. Or we can try to make a difference in the lives of these, our fellow citizens, by helping them create alternatives to lives of crime both through prevention programs, and through a sincere commitment to rehabilitative treatment.
Scientific evidence proves it.
Go into the prisons - see what they are like. Talk to prisoners - ask them how they ended up in jail, why the committed their crimes. Look at the statistics from carefully conducted studies in the US and in other industrialized countries. Write to your legislators, talk to your local politicians. Make elected officials responsible for real improvement in crime statistics.