The Prison Administration has to deal with a large population of drug addicts who stay in prison for relatively long periods of time, either because of having to serve long sentences for serious crimes they have committed or because of the difficulty of community reintegration. The vastness of the phenomenon and the need for an effective solution has forced the Administration to consider the possibility of creating special sections intended and equipped for the treatment of those inmates who are most likely to be rehabilitated. This approach goes hand in hand with decriminalization of drug addiction -- offering rehabilitation opportunities as an alternative to prison. In view of the increasing use of new alternatives to detention, these new treatment measures have the purpose of easing contact with local professionals in the field of drug rehabilitation, thus permitting more individual attention to be paid to the inmate. This project under which the Prison Administration has been establishing special drug-treatment sections may represent a viable solution as the Prison Administration can thereby benefit from the support of other social, judicial, and health forces in the area. 34 references