Rehab Vs. Jail: Drug Treatment to Save State $422 Million

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed a new justice reform bill into law Thursday aimed at saving the state $422 million over the next decade.
The Bill is a “culmination of multi-year effort to keep Kentuckians safe while being “smart on crime”,” according to the announcement on Kentucky’s state website at ky.gov . The bill, HB 463, is designed to “decrease the state’s prison population, reduce incarceration costs, reduce crime and increase public safety.”
HB 463 will reduce prison time for non-violent drug offenders, then reinvest half of the money saved by reduced prison costs into rehabilitation and treatment options for those that need help.
Prison costs, especially for non-violent drug offenders, has been an ever increasing issue across the country for years, costing taxpayers billions, however studies have shown that providing treatment instead of incarceration significantly reduces the percentage of repeat offenders.