A report by the University of California at Los Angeles says the state saves more than twice the amount of money that it spends on nonviolent drug offenders who are sentenced to treatment rather than prison.
Taxpayers saved nearly $2.50 for every $1 invested in drug treatment in the first 30 months since implementation of a 2000 law allowing drug treatment as an alternative to prison, the report says. Savings further increased if offenders actually completed their programs, with taxpayers saving nearly $4 per $1 spent, the study said.
The total savings in ...