Music:
Member Since: 12/4/2007
Band Website: whiteciti.com
Band Members: Treatment vs. Incarceration:::Recent developments in criminal justice indicate the emergence of a national movement in favor of treating, rather than incarcerating, non-violent drug possession offenders. These developments include drug courts, local policies which favor treatment, and statewide ballot initiatives that divert non-violent drug offenders to treatment instead of incarceration.Public health approaches towards drug offenders have gained national attention and public support. In a 2002 survey sponsored by the Open Society Institute, "Changing Public Attitudes Towards the Criminal Justice System," 63% of Americans considered drug abuse a problem that should be addressed primarily through counseling and treatment, rather than the criminal justice system.CaliforniaIn November 2000, 61 percent of California voters passed Proposition 36, the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act of 2000 (SACPA), an initiative requiring rehabilitation rather than incarceration for nonviolent drug possession offenders. Under SACPA, most people convicted of a nonviolent drug possession offense are given the opportunity to receive community-based drug treatment in lieu of incarceration.Since the program’s inception in 2001, more than 36,000 people have accessed treatment through SACPA each year. In the first six years, a total of more than 70,000 people have graduated. Each year more than half of program participants (or more than 19,000 people) receive treatment for methamphetamine addiction, making SACPA the country’s largest and most successful methamphetamine treatment program. Participants receiving treatment for methamphetamine addiction actually fare better than do SACPA participants in general, a fact that has helped educate some community members and lawmakers who previously, and erroneously, believed that methamphetamine addiction was untreatable.The University of California at Los Angeles, which was contracted by the state to evaluate SACPA, estimates that the program saves approximately $2.50 for every $1 spent. For program completers, says UCLA, savings increase to $4 per $1 spent. According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), net savings have reached $200 million to $300 million per year—or a total of $1.2-1.8 billion for the first six years of implementation.Prop. 36 was co-written by Daniel Abrahamson of the Drug Policy Alliance’s Office of Legal Affairs. DPA mounted a major campaign to educate the public about this initiative, and continues to advocate for improved implementation and adequate funding in the years following its passage. As demonstrated by UCLA research, necessary improvements to SACPA include co-location of services, expanded access to narcotic replacement therapy, and better case management.Read more about the program and participants’ successes (PDF).
Sounds Like: FIRE BLOW'N OUT YOUR SPEAKERS!!!
Record Label: Rainy Songs Entertainment (Digital)
Type of Label: Indie
