Currently
46°
Fog

Advertisement





News

CLASSIFIEDS


Advertisement


Free Ad

Place an ad
in print and online, 24/7 for free, select the Clean Sweep option. Unable to submit Real Estate, Services, and Business Investements at this time.

Get a Subscription


Map the Valley


Subscriber/
Reader Services

Subscribe Now
Contact Customer Service



Toxic Addiction: Proposition 36 lauded by some, blasted by others

Proposition 36 -- which sends non-violent drug offenders to treatment rather than prison -- has been lauded by some for helping drug addicts get the help they need, but blasted by others for allowing criminals to avoid punishment.

Below is a list of pros and cons given by health officials, drug counselors, university studies and law enforcement.

PROS:

• An episode of Prop. 36 treatment costs $4,500. A year of incarceration in California is more than $30,000.

• Before entering Prop. 36 treatment, 29.5 percent of participants were employed. Twelve months after treatment, 54 percent were employed.

• Without treatment, 85 percent of drug users relapse within the first year of release from prison. More than 55 percent of Prop. 36 participants were meth-free 12 months after discharge.

• Among those receiving treatment, there is a 74 percent decrease in crime.

CONS:

• Only 19 percent of Prop. 36 enrollees in Kings County finished their treatment.

• Criminals sentenced to Prop. 36 rather than jail time who don't show up for treatment can many times escape punishment for long periods of time until they are arrested for another offense.

• Drug users can be sentenced to Prop. 36 three times before they face any jail time.

(Sept. 26, 2007)

POST A COMMENT

 

Hanfordsentinel.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed, particularly if they are posted after normal office hours.

We reserve the right to remove comments in total that violate our code of conduct. If you want to report a violation, please e-mail editor@HanfordSentinel.com

For more information please read our Terms of use, and Rules of the Road.

 


Please log in to post comments
*Member ID:
*Password:
  Forgot Your Password?
 
If you don't have an account you can create one for free by clicking the link below.
CREATE ACCOUNT
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the views of the Hanford Sentinel

taxpayer wrote on Sep 26, 2007 1:51 PM:

" Now figure the costs of the 9 or 10 times this " lucky" person on Prop 36 gets arrested, goes to the ER Room and the amount of money the steal and I bet its well over the savings. Every person on Prop 36 knows they can get arrested many-many times prior to a jail stint. unless the are arrested on a non drug relatated crime. ie; drunk in public, theft, murder, robbery, it is just a temp. fix to a bad problem. I thnk the justice system in Texas had it right on, tents and sandwichs, "

EX ADDICT wrote on Sep 26, 2007 3:17 PM:

" I WENT THROUGH PROP 36 AND IT IS THE ONLY PROGRAM THAT I MADE IT THROUGH COMPLETELY. THE PEOPLE I WAS IN CLASS WITH WERE JUST LIKE ME TRYING TO GET CLEAN BUT NOT REALLY KNOWING HOW . I HAVE BEEN CLEAN FOR 7 YEARS NOW AND HAVE A GREAT LIFE. SO UNLESS YO HAVE BEEN THERE DONT JUDGE ALL METH ADDICTS BY A FEW THERE ARE SOME OF US THAT DID GET CLEAN AND HAVE STAYED CLEAN FOR A BETTER LIFE. "

what a joke wrote on Sep 27, 2007 1:35 AM:

" I think the statistics in "Pros" are padded. I have seen many people go through prop 36 and they only stay clean until the program is over. Then its back to using dope. 55% being clean 12 months later, no way. If you want to know the truth, talk to the people on the front line who constantly see repeat offenders. if getting clean from meth was so wasy, why do we have such a huge problem. Prop 36 is a joke. Lets go back to 90 days in jail for being high. at least they cant use while in jail. "

EX ADDICT wrote on Sep 27, 2007 1:54 PM:

" TO WHAT A JOKE maybe you enjoy using our tax dollors to let people sit in jail. i do not what is sitting in jail doing for them the drugs are just as bad inside as it is outside. how can you say prop 36 is a joke unless you have went through it . yes some people dont make it through the program but there are sucess stories out there but with peolple like you and your attitude its not likely that you will ever understand "

to ex addict wrote on Oct 15, 2007 6:30 PM:

" First, learn how to spell "dollors" then we'll talk about how to spend them. I am happy for you that you made a full recovery. Quite frankly, the program is a waste. I agree with "what a joke". Ask the people who work with the P36ers on a daily basis. We are lucky if we find one that is clean until the end of the program. I can tell you what P36 is about...excuses, urines tests, violations and then reinstatements. An endless cycle. "




Advertisement


HOT TOPICS

> More Hot Topics


SENTINEL BLOGS

Daydream Island by Shannon Milliken

38 Things

I know, I know. It’s been a long time. But I’m back on the blogs again and thanks to my coverage of education I’ve got something to say in light of tomorrow’s holiday. (haha, I rhyme, and get ready, because this is going to be cheesy). So, in school, the teachers typically have their students write [...]

Signposts by Seth Nidever

Faith in the ruins

I interviewed an 85-year-old woman on Monday. I will surely never hear “young man” as much as I did for the hour I talked with Merry Loo. “Young man,” she said. “Go out there and find a wife.” Go out and find a wife. Procreate. Buy a house. Be civic minded. Treat people with fairness, honesty and [...]

Sentinel Online by Josh Parrish

Sentinel Photo Galleries

You might have noticed we just launched our new photo gallery section.  Not only will you get to sift through multiple new galleries every week from our excellent photographers, Apolinar Fonseca and Gary Feinstein, but you will be able to look at local readers’ photos as well. Enthusiasts, parents with a camera, or anyone else can [...]

Going All-in by Richard de Give

Fearful Football Forecast: Week 12

Are some of these leagues getting so predictable that even I can predict them right? I was just doing last week’s totals and can’t believe I again nailed just about all of them. The one miss, the Cowboys, of course. I generally haven’t fared well in these things at other papers, seriously! 13-1 again, now [...]

Signposts by Seth Nidever

The poison of ideology

Ideology is often the bane of this blog. I say this at the risk of alienating some of the most frequent commentators. But it needs to be said: Ideology is one of the great poisons of the modern age, remnants of which survive into the postmodern world we now live in. For evidence, just read some of the [...]

> More Blogs


MORE LOCAL NEWS

Lemoore:

Selma:

Kingsburg:



EMAIL UPDATES

Sign up today to get all your local headlines delivered to your home or work e-mail address, so you don't miss the latest in breaking and local news.
E-Mail:
Daily News Updates
Breaking News Alerts