One argument when deciding between drug rehab and prison is total overall cost and what it could do to our economy. Currently, the United States incurs $740 billion annually in expenses that relate to drug use. Sending substance-abusing state prisoners to community-based treatment programs instead of price could not only reduce crime, but it could save billions of dollars in the long-term. The savings would result from immediate reductions in the cost of incarceration, and by reductions in the number of crimes committed by successfully treated offenders. All of this can result in fewer arrests and re-incarceration. Of the nearly 50 percent of state prisons that abuse drugs or are dependent on drugs, only 10 percent of them will receive medically based drug treatment while they are incarcerated. Those who are untreated or not treated entirely are more likely to begin using drugs when they are released from prison, and commit crimes at a higher rate than those who do not abuse drugs.If 10 percent of eligible offenders were treated in community-based programs instead of prison, the criminal justice system could save up to $4.8 billion. Those numbers jump dramatically to 12.9 billion if 40 percent of those were eligible and could attend.