Is there any connection between OxyContin and the rise of the prison population in Kentucky? Is the need for more drug rehab and drug detox related in any way to the outbreak of prescription drug abuse, especially OxyContin?

In Kentucky, an estimated 80% of the prison population is there because of drug or alcohol crimes. Senate Majority leader Dan Kelly, R- Springfield, has sponsored a bill to allow some drug offenders to go to a Kentucky drug rehab. This could help a lot, and lower the prison expenses for the state.

In 1980 Kentucky had 3,700 people in their prison system, today they are 22,600 felons behind bars. The cost in 1980 was $30 million and the cost today is $431 million. The cost per prisoner has obviously gone way up - from $8,100 a year to nearly $20,000 a year. You could probably find a good drug rehab for much less. With the high percentage of people in jail because of drugs and alcohol, a good drug rehab may be the best thing.

Senator Kelly is certainly on the right path.

One other point that the politicians should look: When did the prison population really start to accelerate? Kentucky has been hard hit from OxyContin addiction and with 80% of the population in jail because of drugs or alcohol there may be a correlation between the two.

It might not take too much to figure it out - look at when OxyContin was approved and look at a chart of prison population growth. I would bet there is a correlation. Regardless, for non-violent offenders a drug detox and a drug rehab program would definitely be cheaper than two or three years in jail.

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