The association between poverty and substance abuse is well-documented.  In fact, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) has suggested that untreated substance abuse in incarcerated individuals constitutes a serious public health issue for the communities to which these men and women return. Without treatment, a safe environment, and a specifically tailored service plan, prison and jail releasees run a high risk of recidivism, placing undue burdens on already at-risk communities.

• According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), “60% to 83% of the nation’s correctional population has used drugs at some point in their lives.”
• In New York State, 82.6% of the incarcerated individuals under the NYS Department of Corrections (DOCS) custody on January 1, 2008 had an identified substance abuse treatment need (State of New York Department of Correctional Services (NYS DOCS), “Hub System: Profiles of Inmate Population Under Custody on January 1, 2008,” 2008).
• 70% of men and women in State prisons have histories of alcohol and drug use and addition (NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, 2001).
• Nearly 75% of all youth in the custody of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services have a serious problem with alcohol or other drugs (NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, 2001).
• Drug treatment has been shown to be 15 times more effective at reducing serious crimes committed by drug users against people and property than are mandatory minimum sentences (Rand Corporation, 1997).