The Economic Impact of Diverting Substance-Abusing Offenders into Treatment

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Abstract
Recognizing the relationship between substance abuse and criminal behavior, the Wisconsin legislature in 1989 mandated the establishment of the Treatment Alternative Programs (TAP) modeled after the national Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime (TASC) program. This study evaluates the economic impact of TAP by examining the benefits and costs and cost-effectiveness of diverting offenders from the criminal justice system into substance abuse treatment. The results suggest that the benefits of TAP outweigh its costs in the short run and TAP costs less than incarcerating offenders.