Fortunately, entry into drug treatment has been shown to have an immediate impact on the levels of drug use and associated crime, and retention in drug treatment to have a significant impact. About 6.3 million people are on probation, in jail or prison, or on parole. Reliable, consistent data on treatment needs among criminal justice populations are sparse, as are data on the quality of programs being offered. However, a very conservative estimate would be that over a million offenders under criminal justice supervision need, and are not getting, drug treatment. 12 Returning these offenders to their communities, without treatment intervention, is a significant missed opportunity and a threat to public safety.
Treatment can change the behavior of offenders, including incarcerated populations.
Major longitudinal studies have repeatedly shown that drug use and criminal activity decline upon entry into treatment and remain below pre-treatment levels for up to six years. State evaluations have yielded similar results. Maine followed treatment graduates for a year and found that 78 percent had no arrests. Washington found that, after four years, substance abusing traffic offenders diverted from prosecution to treatment had a 22 percent recidivism rate compared to 48 percent for those who had been convicted. And Texas found, after a one-year follow up of treatment graduates, that 80 percent had no arrests.