Should the government build more prisons to hold more drug users or would rehabilitaion centers be better?

Do most drug abusers come out of jail/prison reformed, or do they return to their previous drug abusing behavior? Then does it serve our societies needs to spend more of our tax dollars on more jails and prisons to handle drug users or should we spend our tax money on rehabilitation and education?

I think not more rehab center but better ones. in jail they will NEVER become a productive member of society in most rehab's they won't either and they ones that are GOOD are too expensive for your common druggy to pay for so they quit and end up in jail. Put the people who HURT OTHER people in jail not the ones who just need help or aren't hurting anyone but themselves. And if they are hurting family because of the drug problem my question is why doesn't the family get them help then support them with it. Too many people go to rehab and get out and the people don't even try to encourage them to get it together.
Fund better programs to clean them up and help them get jobs and then we don't have to pay for food and lodging for people who can get better.

people go to jail/prison for drugs, sure, but they also have to go to rehab while in jail/prison. it's the law.

so tecnically we are using taxes for both and about 60% come out and go back to their usual ways while others make the best out of the rest of their lives.

Most drug abuser do not come out of prison or even rehab reformed. Most usually go back to their old ways. Sometimes it the same day they get out and some times it taks a week, a month or even a year. You ever heard the expression you can't change a leopards spots. We should allow those who seek rehabilitation on their own to come forward and receive the help the want. However, just because someone is caught using drugs doesn't mean tax payers should pay more money for rehablitation. They have to want the help. Therefore, those who volunteer should be given rehab, those who are caught should be placed in prison for a long time. Because its not the drug use that puts the society at risk but the illegal activities many engage in to get the money to buy those drugs.

NO!

Make the penalty stiffer for these people!

Why should the taxpayer pay to fix what they screwed up? Make it hurt when they do it and it will reduce the problem.

Accountability for ones actions is the only way to make people think!

Drug abusers represent a unique problem for our society. It would be easy to lock the cells and throw away the key; however you鈥檙e dealing with individuals who are emotionally, mentally, and physically disturbed. Most respond well to drug treatment in jail because they have no choice. You can't hold them forever and because we live in a free society you have to release them and send them back home. When they get there it's a whole different story. They are without restraints, no walls, or barb wire fences. Who can stop them? Who can fix them? More money! More drugs! I believe the government is only responding the only way it knows how to "REACTIVE". The prison system just deals with the criminal aspect of the problem. Though many programs exist which can help drug abusers, they have to choose to participate and how can you force a person to participate in anything. They are individuals; people that need help on an individual basis, the answer to one person needs would not be another鈥檚. I say build more prisons for criminal drug abusers and build more rehabilitation programs. They鈥檙e just no easy answers to this question.