ATTACK ADDICTION, NOT JUST CRIME

The number of blacks in Wisconsin prisons is so high that a prominent
Web site recently named the state the worst place to be black.

While there are myriad reasons why more than 4 percent of blacks of
all ages and both sexes are in prison, addiction may be one of the strongest.

Blacks made up 38.7 percent of Wisconsin's incarcerated population,
according to the 2000 census. And an estimated 70 percent of all
prisoners have substance-abuse problems.

Addiction often figures into offenses, and it is one reason many
former inmates return to prison again and again. Over half of
Wisconsin prisoners have been incarcerated before.

This cycle endangers the public, frustrates law enforcement officials
and hurts taxpayers, who spend more than a billion dollars a year
keeping more than 22,000 criminals behind bars.

Resolving this complex problem won't be easy. But Dane County and
Wisconsin, along with nonprofits, are to varying degrees trying.

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk's proposed budget would boost
money for drug court and maintain the Pathfinders program. Drug court
gives first-time offenders with substance- abuse problems a chance to
correct behavior and avoid jail and a criminal record. Pathfinders
works with more addicted and serious offenders, providing treatment
and counseling.

State leaders have been slower to attack the problem. But the latest
state budget provides alcohol- and drug-abuse treatment services at
Racine and Fond du Lac prisons, and increases funds for programs that
help former inmates integrate into society.

Community groups are also helping out with a variety of programs that
provide treatment, education and job training for current and former
prisoners. United Way of Dane County, for example, is offering a
$40,000 grant to agencies that provide two case workers to help
former prisoners be productive citizens.

These programs deal with addiction issues that plague offenders of
all races, including blacks. But if government agencies and
nonprofits tailor these efforts for blacks and their communities,
they could be more effective.

For instance, many black drug offenders are from the Milwaukee area,
where "jobs, intact families and educational opportunities are the
most scarce," and offenders "are paroled back into the same
communities," The Black Commentator, the Web site that named the
state the worst place to be black, says.

Wisconsin has to reduce its large black prison population. The best
strategy is through a multi-dimensional approach that holds
individuals responsible for their actions, and provides them with
skills and resources to deal with addictions that lead to criminal behavior.