by Joseph A. Califano Jr.

About the author: Joseph A. Califano Jr. is the founder and president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York City.

From a three-year study of the individuals behind bars in America, I conclude that the predominant national policy of using imprisonment for punishment only is insane—a profligate waste of public funds that endangers public safety, supports the illegal drug market, defies common sense and offends against Christian compassion.

The raw numbers tell an astounding story. Since 1980 America’s prison population has more than tripled, from 500,000 to over 1.7 million. Why? The big culprit is drug and alcohol abuse and addiction.

Drug and alcohol abuse and addiction are implicated in the crimes and incarceration of 80 percent—some 1.4 million—of the 1.7 million men and women...