This research brief will summarize findings on what is known about substance abuse treatment as it relates to public safety and the use of incarceration. Along with conducting a brief literature review, the Justice Policy Institute (JPI) has compared state data on drug treatment admissions to incarceration rates. While no single solution will guarantee that a person will not be involved in criminal activity and the literature is not conclusive on what single factor might solve every community’s various challenges, the research suggests that increased investments in drug treatment can have a positive public safety benefit.  Significant findings from this brief include:

• Increases in admissions to substance abuse treatment are associated with reductions in crime rates
• Increased admissions to drug treatment are associated with reduced incarceration rates
• Substance abuse treatment prior to contact with the justice system yields public safety benefits early on.
• Substance abuse treatment helps in the transition from the criminal justice system to the community
• Substance abuse treatment is more cost-effective than prison or other punitive measures