States must provide adequate prison and detention capacity to support the criminal justice system. When prisons are overcrowded, and convicted violent offenders are released prematurely because of lack of space, all the resources used in apprehending, trying, and convicting the offender are wasted and public safety is jeopardized. The American criminal justice system is predicated on the assumption that penalty severity is directly related to deterrent effect on potential offenders; therefore, States must enact effective death penalties for those heinous crimes for which such a sanction is eminently appropriate. Another principle consistent with the punitive function of imprisonment would be to require able-bodied inmates to work or engage in public service to offset the costs of their incarceration. The relationship between drug use and crime has been confirmed in numerous studies; therefore, drug testing policies should be implemented throughout the criminal justice process. Finally, asset forfeiture is a double-barreled criminal justice tool which deprives criminals of illegally obtained profits and supplements scarce law enforcement resources. 18 references