In a major policy shift, the Florida Department of Corrections is making rehabilitation of offenders a major policy goal, including providing addiction treatment to inmates with alcohol and other drug problems.

The Palm Beach Post reported May 23 that the administration of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist -- nicknamed "Chain Gang Charlie" for his tough-on-crime reputation as a state lawmaker -- announced an anti-recidivism plan that aims to increase addiction treatment services from 19 percent of the prison population to 25 percent.

The plan, which aims to cut recidivism from 30 percent to 20 percent or lower by 2012, also includes new job-training alliances, literacy education, post-release mental-health counseling and links to social services like addiction counseling, and an initiative to get ex-offenders driver's licenses or other state IDs so they can get jobs.

"It's time to stop doing things the way we've been doing it. We've got to stop locking them up and throwing away the key," said Hieteenthia Hayes, head of the reentry program initiated by Florida Corrections Secretary Jim McDonough, formerly the state's drug czar.

Crist, a Republican, said, "If you just look at ... [my] nickname alone, I can understand that it could be a little confusing. But it really goes down to fundamental fairness. If you believe in fundamental fairness for people who have made a mistake, a serious one, perhaps, and have the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves, I think that's fundamentally fair. If on the other hand you have people who have been terribly unkind to innocent Floridians, then the notion of appropriate punishment is not inappropriate."

McDonough said that education and substance-abuse programs would be expanded, saying they have proven their effectiveness. But he said the same was not true of faith-based prison programs, which had been pushed by former Gov. Jeb Bush. McDonough said that about two-thirds of Florida inmates need addiction treatment, but less than 20 percent receive help.