According the the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, the key to addressing the problem of recidism, is to focus on diversion programs and reinvest resources into prevention, rather than detention (Pettus-Davis, Epperson, 2015). Examples of some alternative programs, include substance abuse treatment, and drug courts, to name a couple. The goal is to reduce the amount of prisoners, by treating the underlying causes, while providing effective solutions for society as a whole. 

 

Corrections in the United States is a broad and difficult topic to dissect. Especially when examining reoffense and recidivism rates. Among the adult population, substance abuse treatment programs proved to be an effective intervention for adults testing positive for drugs, post release (Pellisier et al., 2001). In additon, adults who attended drug court diversion programs were 40% less likely to commit crimes, compared to 53% of those who did not complete the program (Pettus-Davis, Epperson, 2015). These results highlight two successful interventions that promote smart decarceration by decreasing the amount of adults who are arrested for crimes that later resulted in prison time.