AUSTIN, TEXAS -- A debate passed in Texas today which deals with the cost and effectiveness of a substance abuse treatment program in state prisons.
The Austin American Statesman reports since the program began nearly 15 years ago they no longer have a waiting list.
Prison officials said Tuesday that in years past, thousands of drug and alcohol addicted convicts had to wait for months, in some cases years, just to get a space in the treatment programs. Officials say now that because the Legislature voted two years ago, to greatly expand the treatment programs the chronic backlog is now gone. At the same time the prison population has decreased slightly in recent months which seems to be part of a national trend.
