Twenty years ago, cocaine and heroin use -- along with alcohol-related crimes -- helped supply the county jail with inmates.

Now, according to some estimates, methamphetamine addiction overshadows them all.

Simply put, the cheap and readily available street drug is clogging the jail system and contributing to serious overcrowding issues, county officials say.

For Kings County residents, overcrowding means early releases of inmates from jail and increased taxes to house them while they serve time. The approximate cost in clothing, meals, classes, health care, additional staff and other expenses is $56 a day, according to jail Cmdr. Jolene Vento.

The numbers are sobering.

An estimated 90 percent of the total number of drug offenders are meth users, Vento said.

Sixty-five percent of narcotics arrests in Kings County are related to meth, according to Cmdr. Eloy Romero of the Kings County Sheriff's Department.

Other inmates, though they might not have been arrested on drug charges, have a drug addiction that motivated the crimes that put them behind bars, Vento said.

The influx of meth users combines with other offenses to create a kind of perfect storm of inmate overcrowding.

"It's a huge problem," said jail Cmdr. Kim Pedreiro.

Anywhere from five to 20 people are released early every week to make room for new arrivals, Pedreiro said. The drug-related arrests typically go first.

"They are the lesser charges compared to burglary, robbery, murder and attempted murder," Pedreiro said.

Those who are released prematurely sometimes commit additional crimes during the time that they would have been incarcerated.

Out of the 3,278 inmates released between May 7, 2001 and June 6, 2007, 347 reoffended, according to sheriff's department statistics.

The problem has prompted several attempts to work toward treatment for offenders who are incarcerated because of drug law violations.

Kings County recently initiated a program to treat juvenile drug users already incarcerated.

The most far-reaching statewide effort has been Prop. 36, a program that has routed tens of thousands of users away from jail time into treatment since California voters made it law in 2000. Proponents used the reality of jail/prison overcrowding to help sell the measure.

About 2,000 people have participated in Prop. 36 in Kings County, the vast majority -- 80 percent -- because of meth use.

A UCLA study completed in April had some good things to say about the program.

One conclusion it reached is that taxpayers saved $2.50 for every $1 spent on Prop. 36. The study also noted re-arrest rates for those who completed treatment were lower than for those who didn't.

But critics say that the program isn't putting a dent in drug use or drug-related crimes.

According to the UCLA study, nearly 75 percent of people assigned to treatment statewide either skipped out early or never showed up, many of them ending up back in court on new drug charges.

Only 19 percent finished in Kings County.

Critics say that not allowing significant jail time as a punishment for defendants who skip out on treatment has weakened the program.

"All I see is the end result, people just keep coming back and coming back and coming back," Vento said.

But Vento and other experts remain convinced that treatment makes sense.

In recommending changes to drug treatment under Prop. 36, the UCLA study noted that meth users did no worse in treatment than other drug offenders on treatment completion and duration rates.

The report stated that "this suggests that methamphetamine problems are as treatable as problems associated with other drugs."

At the same time, the report said that more long-term residential space for some users is needed to make Prop. 36 more effective.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest budget includes $120 million for the program -- $25 million less than last year and far short of the $228 million recommended by the UCLA study.

For Vento, it's money worth spending.

"Let me tell you something. Jails aren't cheap," she said.

The reporter can be reached at 582-0471, ext. 3061.

(Sept. 26, 2007)