The study, conducted by Columbia University's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, evaluated the Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison (DTAP) program that was implemented in 1990 in Brooklyn.

Researchers compared 280 program participants with 130 drug offenders who were sent to prison. They found that those in the Brooklyn program were 67 percent less likely to return to prison. In addition, graduates of the program were nearly four times more likely to have a job after they left the program than before they entered it.

"It makes a phenomenal difference," said Joseph Califano, chairman of Columbia University's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. "We do not have to throw away the key for a large number of people we thought had no chance."

The DTAP program includes treatment, counseling, and job training in a strict environment designed to encourage self-discipline. Participants remain in the program from 15 to 24 months.

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