A new study released this week revealed that one half of all males who are arrested test positive for some kind of illegal drug(s). Although this is alarming, it’s not really surprising since there have long been links established between crime and drug abuse. There were ten major U.S. cities involved in the study and 3,924 men tested. In some cities, such as Chicago, the numbers were near 90% and in some cases, multiple substances were found. Other statistics include:

Marijuana is the most common drug found, with the exception of Atlanta where cocaine was found most often.

Heroin was found most often in men from Chicago and reveals an increase of 9% over the past year for a total of 29% in this most recent study.

This only highlights arguments proponents of court enforced drug rehabilitation programs have said for years. Advocates say the opportunity exists for every judge in the country to order counseling and rehabilitation instead of incarceration. They say recidivism rates are dramatically lowered when one completes rehab programs and is often the only chance many have at entering any kind of treatment facilities.
Still, the costs for those who don’t complete rehab amount to wasted taxpayer dollars and further, taxpayers must then foot the bill for housing those who, as part of their sentences, must go to jail if they fail to complete treatment. Many say drug courts only delay jail time for those adamant about not stopping their drug use.
For now, it’s often left up to the judge who determines sentencing whether or not to send an offender to rehab. With such a close eye on how limited monies are spent, many judges feel obligated to choose jail over rehab. Today’s release of these new statistics might change that, though. Even when one who is ordered into rehab doesn’t complete treatment, there remain six who do complete treatment and avoid jail time altogether.
One suggestion includes nationwide admissions guidelines with clear guidance on who is and isn’t eligible (such as no arrests for major drug trafficking). For more information on the cities’ individual statistics, see this USA Today report.

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