As a result, repeat offenders are common because they are not offered adequate rehabilitation services. Drug addicts are often treated as hopeless by the justice system when in reality they can be helped. Proposition 36 recognizes that drug addiction is a health problem and should be addressed as such. Most drug addicts are a danger to themselves rather than to others and should be helped rather than punished. Incarcerating non-violent drug offenders is also a racist policy.
Studies show that blacks are arrested four times as often as whites for drug offenses.
The government should take some responsibility in order to fix this problem. Proposition 36 is also cost-effective. It is estimated that the state will save about 250 million dollars per year, in addition to the 40 million dollars that the local government will save. Hopefully this will also mean less demand for new prisons, which would also save taxpayers millions of dollars. Proposition 36 has the potential to reduce the prison population by 36,000 inmates each year allowing the prison system to be able to house harder criminals for longer.