• Conclusion •

A wise person once said that “a person is entitled to his own opinions but not his own facts.”  Public policy discussions about drug and alcohol addiction and treatment and their relationship to the successful reentry of individuals from the criminal justice system to their communities have long suffered from myth and misinformation. 

Research clearly demonstrates that while sentencing individuals to incarceration or community supervision without treatment usually fails to prevent them from returning to drug and alcohol use and crime upon release, evidence-based drug and alcohol treatment programs—especially comprehensive programs that are integrated into the criminal justice system and that extend into the community following release—are effective in reducing drug and alcohol use and crime, promoting employment and responsibility, and saving money. Now that leading researchers have identified effective ways to reduce drug-related crime, policymakers and practitioners have the opportunity to implement those approaches and dramatically improve the safety and well-being of families, communities, and the whole Nation.