Joseph R. Biden

Joseph R. Biden is a senator from Delaware and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs. The following viewpoint is a statement he made at an oversight hearing on drug courts in which he argues that drug courts are a cost-effective way to deal with nonviolent offenders who need drug treatment. He asserts that without treatment, drug offenders will return to a life of crime after leaving prison. However, addicts who undergo treatment, such as that mandated by drug courts, are much more likely to remain drug-free and out of trouble after their release.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What percentage of U.S. prisoners are incarcerated because of a drug-related crime, as cited by the author?
2. Why does Biden believe that the 30 percent of the drug court participants who went...