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The Massachusetts House of Representatives went into recess last month without voting on a pending bill that would offer parole to nonviolent prisoners convicted in drug cases.<\/p>\nThe Massachusetts House of Representatives went into recess last month without voting on a pending bill that would offer parole to nonviolent prisoners convicted in drug cases.<\/p>\n
I wrote about this proposal after the state Senate okayed it<\/a>, and I\u2019m sad to report that the bill died on its way to the House.The bill addressed the sentences of people serving mandatory minimums, but it also sent a message that we’re making a mistake by focusing on punishment rather than treatment and prevention.<\/p>\n An editorial in a suburban Boston paper<\/a> this week expresses disappointment that the House failed to take action on this issue, pointing out that the state spends more on incarceration than higher education (like several others).<\/p>\n Put aside the fact that substance abuse treatment saves the lives of people plagued by chronic addiction. The savings to taxpayers ought to be enough to force a reconsideration of policies that haven’t worked: It costs $48,000 a year to keep an addict in prison, compared to $4,000 to $5,000 for outpatient treatment.<\/p>\n Alternatives to incarceration are working — programs like outpatient treatment and drug courts are saving money and lives — and the budget crunch has finally led some states to give them a shot. Hopefully successes in these states will continue to persuade states like Massachusetts to take the plunge.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A Washington Post report this week on drug courts demonstrated that the alternative courts — which funnel people charged with drug crimes to specific judges and courtrooms equipped to handle their cases wisely and offer a range of alternatives to incarceration — are working, if you can get into them<\/a>. Only 10% of drug cases nationwide find their way into drug courts. But the Obama administration wants to expand the programs. The federal government spent $64 million on drug courts this year and Congress could push that spending up to $100 next year.<\/p>\n We have too many people in prison for nonviolent drug crimes, and the slow pace of reform in Massachusetts is a sign of the battles still to be fought across the nation.<\/p>\n