Cristina Everett

Various states have begun sentencing nonviolent drug offenders to drug treatment instead of prison in order to decrease prison overcrowding and reduce drug-related crime. For example in California, Proposition 36, which was passed by voters in the November 2000 election, gives drug offenders the option to attend drug treatment instead of going to jail or prison. In the following viewpoint, Cristina Everett argues in favor of Proposition 36. She asserts that prisons do not offer drug offenders the tools to fight their addictions. Drug offenders, she insists, should be sentenced to work on breaking their addictions instead of “biding time until the next fix.” Everett, a California resident, actively campaigned for Proposition 36.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How does Everett support her claim that drug treatment is less expensive than incarceration"
2. According to...