Alternatives to Incarceration

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Pat Robertson Demands Marijuana Reform and Blames the Drug War on Liberals

Update: Robertson has now made it official -- he's for legalization of marijuana, and supports the Colorado and Washington initiatives: NYT

For the second time now, televangelist Pat Robertson has gone off on our drug laws in a big way. This time he has an entire segment on his Christian Broadcasting Network program attacking over-incarceration and generally saying cool stuff that you never thought you'd hear on a hardcore Christian cable channel (except the liberal-bashing, of course).

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Drug Policy Reform Gets Standing Ovation in New Jersey Statehouse

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Something amazing happened in New Jersey yesterday. It's not the kind of news that's likely to make national headlines, but I think it says a lot about where our nation is heading when it comes to our attitudes about drug use and the criminal justice system.

This crack smoker could get treatment instead of jail under a new Polish law (image via wikimedia.org)

Poland "Treatment Not Jail" Drug Law Now in Effect

A new law allowing prosecutors to divert small-time drug possessors into treatment instead of prison went into effect Friday.

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Fixing Our Drug Policy Will Require a Hatchet, Not a Scalpel

I have a new piece at Huffington Post discussing recent claims from the Drug Czar's office that the Obama Administration is working hard to "reform" our drug policy. We've reached an interesting moment in the debate when both sides are wrapping themselves in the flag of reform.

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Slams the War on Drugs

Last week’s joint statement from two state governors calling for the rescheduling of marijuana overshadowed another big story: NJ Gov. Chris Christie’s call for an end to the War on Drugs.

GOP presidential contender Newt Gingrich (wikimedia.org)

Gingrich Would Execute Mexico Drug Cartel Leaders

Newt Gingrich laid out a hard-line approach to drug policy targeting US drug users as well as Mexican cartels in an interview Saturday.

Who would have thunk it? Corrections reform is moving in Oklahoma. (Image via Wikimedia)

Oklahoma House Passes Corrections Reform Bill

One might have thought the Sooner state would start thinking about letting people out of prison only later, but a bill to reduce imprisonment is moving in Oklahoma City.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (Image courtesy Gage Bradshaw)

Kentucky Cuts Drug Sentences [FEATURE]

Faced with a staggering corrections budget, Kentucky has become the latest state to enact substantive sentencing reforms.

Florida Taxpayers Spent Hundreds of Millions Jailing Nonviolent Drug Abusers, Treatment a Less Expensive and More Effective Method

Officials across Florida are realizing that in situations where drug offenders are non-violent it would be a better use of limited resources to send them to treatment instead of prison. But, there aren't enough treatment programs and Florida currently houses 19,414 inmates for non-violent drug offenses costing taxpayers $377,971,166 a year. Mary Lynn Ulray, the executive director of a Drug Treatment Program DACCO, says she thinks the legislature is starting to understand there is a cost benefit from drug treatment. Ulray says the agency's 6 month residential program has close to a 70 percent success rate in six months at a cost of $10,000 compare that to the average 6.4 year sentence costing taxpayer $124,601 per offender.

Bill to Lessen Penalties for Some Drug Offenders Clears Kentucky Senate Panel

A Kentucky Senate committee has approved legislation aimed at reducing the stateâs fast-rising prison population by bolstering drug treatment and alternative sentences for non-violent offenders. The bill cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee without opposition. Supporters say the bill would produce net savings of $147 million over 10 years.

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