The report begins with an analysis of the methods that are currently available in the United States for punishing and controlling criminal behavior. Special attention is given to the capacity of the U.S. corrections system and how that capacity is currently affected by drug-crime convictions. This is followed by a review of the relations between punishment and control and criminal behavior. Also examined are the reasons why the relationship between punishment and crime level may be different for drug-defined crimes than for other crimes. The report continues with a brief description of how the United States' criminal justice system actually operates to punish crime, arguing that criminal justice policies must be framed within the criminal justice system as a whole. This involves taking into account how changes in one component of the criminal justice system will affect other components. The report concludes with an analysis of New York City's Tactical Narcotics Teams, a recent attempt to reduce drug-related crime by increasing the certainty, severity, and celerity of punishment for drug dealing and possession. The author concludes that increasing the certainty, severity, and/or celerity of punishment for drug-related crimes would require large additional investments in all parts of the criminal justice system and corrections system. Even if it were possible to increase punishment levels, current research provides no clear answer as to whether this would ultimately reduce drug-related crime. 96 references