https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2009-01-16/727157/

Not Enough Drug Abuse Treatment in Prison

By Jordan Smith, January 16, 2009, 10:30am, Newsdesk

Twenty years worth of research shows its effective, but the vast majority of prisoners who need drug treatment don't receive it, researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Treating drug-abusing offenders improves public health and safety," NIDA Director, and the study's co-author, Nora Volkow said in a press release. Indeed, treatment helps cure addiction, stop the spread of infectious diseases, and, says Volkow, "treatment also makes it less likely that these abusers will return to the criminal justice system."

According to the NIDA report, roughly half of all prisoners have substance abuse issues, but just 20% of those actually receive any formal treatment.