Financial Times (qtd. in Burns). Supporters of alternatives to incarceration also believe prisons expose criminals to violent behavior, instead of rehabilitating them, which increases the risk of criminal behavior when they are released. ¡°Each time we send someone to jail for a nonviolent crime, the taxpayers have to pay for that person to sit in a cell, watch television, and become less employable. There are options to putting people behind bars,¡± said Steve Smith, a Ball State University professor of criminal justice (qtd. in Clark). Many others agree with him arguing that tax money should be used in a more productive manner.

Too many nonviolent criminals are putting a strain on the nation¡¯s prison population (Overcrowding, Issues & Controversies). Opponents of prison construction also believe that prisons do not properly rehabilitate criminals, and they are likely to commit similar crimes after they are released (Overcrowding, Issues & Controversies).

Supporters of alternative methods to incarceration believe that the government should not construct more prisons for the overcrowding crisis. ¡°Far too many prisons are

three states adopted laws similar to the California three-strike law (Overcrowding, Issues & Controversies). These decisions caused a major strain on the prison system.

solutions that are being considered will save the U.S. from huge prison expenses and decrease the inmate population (Overcrowding, Issues & Controversies). Drug-related offenders should be sent through treatment programs, rather than serving long sentences (Overcrowding, Issues and Controversies). This would help to lower the approximate 500,000 people currently serving time for drug offenses. Tax money would be spent on the treatment programs, rather than prison construction. Funding these programs would be much cheaper than incarceration and would help offenders ease back into the community (Overcrowding, Issues & Controversies). The rehabilitation and counseling programs would also help the offender overcome his or her problem, lowering the risk of a repeat offense. These programs would consist of a drug and alcohol awareness meeting, two recovery meetings per week, and agree to various drug tests taken randomly (Glaubinger). They would also have to go through a set amount of community service and write a daily log (---). The goal of this type of treatment would be to improve the decisions and the self confidence of the drug offenders.

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