Using Drug Treatment to Promote Public Safety in Iowa
As the state’s top law enforcement official, Attorney General Tom Miller remains convinced that “The number one thing we can do to fight crime is fight drugs, and the number one thing we can do to fight drugs is to do a better job with drug treatment.” Each legislative session since 2003, the Attorney General has issued an appeal to the legislature to significantly increase the levels of funding in Iowa for drug treatment and prevention.
Tom Miller believes that a three-prong approach is needed to deal with drugs: Prosecution, Prevention and Treatment. Law enforcement and prosecutors in Iowa are doing a fine job dealing with an almost intractable problem. However, most law enforcement officers and prosecutors agree that prosecution alone will not solve the drug problem. Miller believes that in addition to continuing strong efforts with enforcement and prevention, more must be done in the area of drug treatment. Research tells us that drug treatment reduces crime and is cost- effective. Increasing the money available for substance abuse treatment will reduce crime and make Iowans safer.
Substance Abuse is Directly Correlated with Criminal Behavior. About 80% of those in prison have been identified as having a substance abuse problem. Nearly one-third (33%) of state prison inmates reported being under the influence of drugs at the time of their offense. Among state and federal prison inmates, 27% of those serving sentences for burglary said they committed their offense to buy drugs.
Substance Abuse Treatment Works. Research involving numerous large-scale studies consistently demonstrates that treatment has beneficial outcomes. Treatment is not easy -- nor is it necessarily successful on the first attempt -- but treatment works, especially when funding is adequate to provide an adequate length of stay.
Substance Abuse Treatment Reduces Crime. A Congressionally-mandated five-year study of the impact of drug and alcohol treatment on thousands of clients in hundreds of treatment centers showed that criminal behavior is greatly reduced after treatment. In this study, arrests for any crime declined 64% and selling drugs declined 78%.
Substance Abuse Treatment is Cost-Effective. Multiple studies have shown that the benefits of substance abuse treatment outweigh the costs. Studies in two Washington state clinics demonstrated that each dollar invested in inpatient treatment had an economic return of over $9, while outpatient treatment yielded an return of $23. Other studies show economic returns of $4-7 for every $1 spent.
Miller’s Proposals: Each year since 2003, Attorney General has offered a specific plan to the legislature to fund increases in drug treatment. The Attorney General has made a long-term commitment to this issue and he will continue to advocate for increased substance abuse treatment and prevention funding for as long as it is necessary.
2008 Proposal.
2007 Proposal
2006 Proposal
2005 Proposal
2004 Proposal
2003 Proposal
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