Why not addict prisons?

"We're not doing anybody any good by locking them up and turning them loose and locking them up again," says S. Dakota state congressman Bill Napoli of drunken drivers. "We need to look at a new way to handle alcohol and drug cases, and a prison dedicated solely to that type of offender is worth considering."

Napoli proposes two stand-alone prisons for repeat drunken drivers and inmates with drug problems. The current system, he says, isn't keeping drugs and alcohol from continuing to fill prisons and jails.

"I'd like to see us looking five years down the road at treatment prisons. I'm not saying don't punish these guys. I'm saying punish them and treat them and give them a chance. If that means more money, let's talk about that," he said.

Tim Reisch, the secretary of the state Department of Corrections, said his agency already offers treatment throughout the adult system and in the parole system, too.

A stand-alone addiction prison would duplicate services and present major security issues, he said. Read more of this story in the Sioux City (IA) Journal.

Brief interventions effective for alcohol abusers

Doctors and nurses should screen and counsel patients for alcohol abuse during routine visits, a doctor-led advocacy group recommended in a recent report.

Dr. Thomas Esposito, co-chairperson of End Needless Deaths on Our Roadways (END), [web site] said studies have determined that 5- to 15-minute counseling sessions have proven effective in decreasing consumption among at-risk drinkers.

The recommendation is part of an annual report ranking the deadliest states of the union in terms of drunk driving. Washington D.C. and Hawaii topped the list this year. Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, North Dakota, and Washington also made the list of the bloodiest states. Details.