Drug Courts (Economist)

[James]

Several states, including Georgia, have begun to implement alternative judiciary systems for convicted drug users.  In most cases, those able to be tried through drug courts are non-felons (ie, not hard-core criminals).  This plan to reduce recidivism seems to be working, as rates have fallen from 15% for those on pure probation to 7% for those involved in drug courts.  Perhaps there is some bias as those in the drug courts may be less likely to commit another crime regardless, but the economic benefits seem to support the plan either way - for every $1 spent on the program, the state of Georgia produces $2.21 in benefits (ie, lower crime and incarceration rate).

While I felt a bit ambivalent about Vancouver and their Insite program, the drug courts seem to provide a nice mix of reward and punishment for drug abuse, with judges coming up with creative ways to punish or support the addicts, depending on how well they follow the rules.

http://www.economist.com/node/18233647

[Lindsay Hong]

I highly recommend reading Orange is the New Black in which Piper Kerman gives a great look into the American penal system. (It’s an easy read.)

Most of her stories are about nonviolent drug offenders. They are incredibly heartbreaking and reveal how our system perpetuates poverty and continues to destabilize already vulnerable families. It is also frustrating from an economic standpoint to see how unnecessary these incarcerations are.

Many of the women were easy targets in the “war on drugs” and did not have a significant involvement in drug trafficking activity. For instance, she talks about a woman who let drug dealers use her home for some of their activity in exchange for money.

She also highlights that many of these women only know how to survive by making money through the black market. While in prison, they aren’t really provided with any resources or skills to help them break out of that life. Once they are released, they often have to return to the activities that got them incarcerated in the first place in order to survive.

[Adam Altman]

Lindsay did you watch the show as well? Comparison?

I've only watched the show and found it highly entertaining.  

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[Lindsay Hong]

Yes. Love the show. While some names and storylines are similar, the tone of the book is MUCH more mild. Some of the stories are heartwarming and charming. It’s definitely not as dramatic as the show. 

Lindsay Hong
808-391-4664

This message was sent from my phone. I apologize for any typos or grammatical errors.

[James Scola]

Jessica and I actually really enjoy the show.  It does get a bit overly dark at times, but overall it's pretty entertaining. Netflix has really hit home runs with both that show and House of Cards; not to diverge too far from the original topic, but that company's ability to shift business models multiple times (from direct delivery to streaming and now to content) has been quite impressive.