One of many controversies in the addiction treatment debate is whether treatment for drug addicts who have been convicted of minor, nonviolent drug-related crimes should be provided in lieu of incarceration. Public attitudes toward this issue have moved in cycles. In the 1960s and 1970s, many Americans came to see drug addiction as a medical problem, and in consequence, the public concluded that treatment for drug addiction would be more effective than punishment. However, in 1979 the National Academy of Sciences reported that few of these treatment programs had a lasting positive impact, and many addicts eventually ended up in prison. Moreover, during the 1980s and early 1990s, Americans, believing crime was on the rise, favored aggressive anticrime and antidrug polices. As a result, addiction rehabilitation programs declined, and policies such as mandatory minimum sentences, which increased the sentencing times...