The Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison (DTAP) Program enables drug addicted criminal defendants to plead guilty to an offense and then enter a residential, therapeutic community treatment system for three years as an alternative to a prison sentence. The Program begins with three months of in-patient, residential drug treatment followed by wraparound recovery support services managed by a resources specialist, including transitional housing, literacy services, higher education, job training and placement services, and counseling, accompanied by drug testing, probation monitoring, and regular court hearings.

In about 60% of the cases sentenced in Pima County, the offender will be placed on supervised probation for an average of three years. Protection of the community is always the primary consideration when determining a supervision program. To ensure long-term protection requires motivating the offender to change those factors that contributed to criminal behavior. Based on empirical research conducted by social scientists, certain dynamic factors are common to offenders and are targets for change.

In order to communicate effectively about land use in Pima County, we must understand that different individuals and groups of people have assigned meaning to places and landscapes in Pima County in accordance with their experiences and their mode of communication. Ten different cultures and their landscapes are described, providing a fascinating summary of the history of each group in the area.