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For immediate release: September 19, 2006
Contact: Laura Jones 202-558-7974, ext. 307
Jamie Lynn Moeller, 202-558-7974, ext. 308

NEW REPORT: Maryland making “slow progress,” but further reforms needed to reap full benefits of treatment-oriented response to drug crime

State spends far more on imprisonment than treatment for drug offenders; Reliance on treatment associated with drops in drug imprisonment and crime.

MARYLAND— Many Maryland jurisdictions are making progress toward the goal of providing “treatment, not incarceration” for nonviolent substance abusers – a policy shift that is strongly supported by both research and public opinion – according to a new report from the Justice Policy Institute. As the nation recognizes National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, the report also finds that Maryland investments in treatment have not kept the pace with demand, and that the state spends far more to imprison people convicted of drug offenses than it spends to treat drug abusers referred by the criminal justice system.

According to “Progress and Challenges: An analysis of drug treatment and imprisonment in Maryland from 2000-2005,” the number of drug treatment admissions referred by the criminal justice system grew by 28 percent between 2000 and 2004, while the number of people sentenced to prison for drug offenses fell by seven percent.  Most regions witnessed an increase in criminal justice referrals to drug treatment and a decrease in prison admissions for drug offenses over the period.  The report attributes the change to significant treatment funding increases which took place between 2000 and 2003 but notes that, for every dollar spent on drug imprisonment, the state of Maryland invests an estimated 26 cents in the treatment of drug abusers referred by the criminal justice system.

Despite progress in most regions, the use of drug treatment and drug imprisonment varies widely across Maryland with some jurisdictions relying heavily on treatment and others making extensive use of imprisonment for people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.  Reliance on treatment was associated with crime drops – eight of the 12 jurisdictions that made greater use of treatment have seen crime fall by 10 percent or more since 2000 compared to just two of the 12 jurisdictions that relied more on imprisonment.  Fact sheets are available with data for each county in Maryland.

“Researchers have consistently found that treatment reduces drug use and drug-related crime more effectively than incarceration,” said Kevin Pranis, a policy analyst who conducted the research for JPI.  “These findings suggest that, by prioritizing treatment over incarceration, policymakers can improve outcomes and reduce costs without compromising public safety.”
 
Opinion polls have revealed overwhelming support for the use of substance abuse treatment as an alternative to incarceration for people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.  In a recent opinion survey of more than 1,000 registered voters, OpinionWorks, an Annapolis firm, found that 69 percent of voters view treatment as an effective way to help people overcome their addictions, and 67 percent view drug treatment as being more effective than incarceration.
 
Two years ago, Maryland lawmakers enacted a set of reforms that were designed to make “treatment, not incarceration” expand the options available to judges, prosecutors, and the state’s parole commission for placing addicted defendants in community-based treatment rather than prison.  JPI’s report offers several recommendations for further reforms that could speed the transition from imprisonment to treatment.  These recommendations include:

• Changing the state’s harsh mandatory minimum drug laws and sentencing guidelines for drug offenses, lowering barriers to the use of treatment as a sentencing option and freeing up to $20 million for substance abuse treatment;

• Making the expansion of treatment a top priority by committing at least $30 million more to the fiscal year 2008 budget for substance abuse treatment; and

• Creating incentives to help local jurisdictions expand treatment alternatives to incarceration rather than encouraging local jurisdictions to send people to prison and let the state pick up the tab. 

"Maryland is clearly headed in the right direction, but more work needs to be done," said Joy Gill, Executive Director of the National Council on Drug and Alcohol Dependency - Maryland Affiliate.  "As we celebrate national recovery month, this report is an important reminder of the need to increase funding support for treatment programs, especially in the jurisdictions where little is available.   Lawmakers should recognize these programs favoring treatment over incarceration benefit not only the persons receiving treatment, but clearly have societal benefits as well."

Other key findings from the report:

• The Lower Eastern Shore (Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties) led the trend in growth of criminal justice drug treatment admissions (75 percent) and reduced use of imprisonment (17 percent) since 2000.  Southern Maryland (Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties) followed close behind with a 74 percent increase in treatment admissions and a corresponding 14 percent decline in use of imprisonment. Western Maryland (Allegany, Garrett, and Washington counties) saw a smaller growth in treatment (21 percent) and a larger drop in drug prisoner admissions (31 percent).  The Baltimore region (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, and Howard counties) moved in the opposite direction:  criminal justice treatment admissions fell by 15 percent while prison admissions grew by 12 percent. 

• Baltimore’s criminal justice-referred drug treatment rate—841 admissions per 100,000 residents—was about four times the state median in 2005.  While the city has made progress referring people to drug treatment, and seen some decline in drug prison admissions, Baltimore’s drug imprisonment rate was still more than eight times the state average.  The typical Maryland jurisdiction admitted 10 people to drug treatment for every person serving a prison sentence for a drug offense, while the ratio in Baltimore was eight-to-one.

• Garrett and Howard counties are the only jurisdictions where the state currently invests more in drug treatment for people referred by the criminal justice system than it spends on drug imprisonment.  Even Baltimore, which accounts for roughly 45 percent of state treatment expenditures, received between 21 and 26 cents for criminal justice drug treatment for every dollar spent to house the city’s drug prisoner population. 

• The use of imprisonment for drug offenses varies widely in Maryland: The typical jurisdiction imprisons 56 people for drug offenses per 100,000 residents but Montgomery County imprisons just five people for every 100,000 residents while state prisons hold 181 people sentenced in Washington County for drug offenses per 100,000 county residents.