cannabisnews.com: Failure Rate High for Pilot Program in O.C.





Failure Rate High for Pilot Program in O.C.
Posted by FoM on July 15, 2001 at 08:15:04 PT
By Monte Morin, Times Staff Writer
Source: Los Angeles Times
As Proposition 36 takes effect across the state, officials are viewing with concern an Orange County pilot program in which 40% of defendants who received drug treatment failed to complete the program.More than 700 defendants have taken part over the last few months in what was designed as a transition to the treatment programs that thousands of drug offenders statewide are now eligible for under the voter-approved initiative. 
Roughly 300 of the participants did not complete the treatment because they stopped showing up for meetings, began using drugs again or were arrested for new drug offenses.The data--the most extensive barometer so far of how statewide drug treatment might fare--leave some judges and prosecutors pessimistic, fearing that Proposition 36 is too lax to ensure widespread success. "I just wonder if these people are going to be motivated to pursue a treatment program," said Superior Court Judge Ronald Kreber. "I don't know that there's much the court can do to motivate them."Kreber and others point out that the 40% failure rate is far above the 22% for Orange County's Drug Court, which has operated for nearly a decade with stricter rules than Proposition 36.For example, Drug Court defendants can be tested as often as four times a week, whereas in the new program, some participants are tested every two weeks. Drug Court also allows authorities to put defendants back in jail for violations--a sanction that resonates deeply with participants, Kreber said."We're breathing down their necks all the time," he said.Although the pilot program's results fell short of the Drug Court record, they compare favorably with voluntary drug treatment centers. Nationally, the success rate for drug addiction treatment is 40% to 60%, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a branch of the National Institutes for Health.Orange County is the only county in the state that began a large-scale pilot program before the mandated July 1 start-up of Proposition 36, according to the Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation in Sacramento. Consequently, program results are being scrutinized by officials throughout California.(San Diego County also conducted a pilot program but severely restricted enrollment, admitting only 25 offenders. Of that number, six were eliminated for failing to appear or for repeat offenses.)Although some officials are expressing pessimism over Orange County's results, Proposition 36 supporters said that the failure rate is respectable for a program in its infant stages and that more defendants will complete the treatment with time.It's the nature of addiction, they said, that even motivated participants will stumble along the road to full recovery."What it should be is a system of working with people instead of growing impatient with them and locking them away," said Tom Havlena, Orange County's senior assistant public defender.Proposition 36 supporters believe success rates will gradually rise as the program moves forward."Right now we're probably pulling in the most highly addicted," said Whitney Taylor of the Lindesmith Center, which championed Proposition 36 and is working with 11 counties to tailor their treatment programs.Officials say that 3,500 to 4,500 drug offenders are expected to seek treatment each year in Orange County. Many of the cases involve addiction to methamphetamines and heroin, officials said. In Los Angeles County, about 20,000 people a year are expected to be treated.Formal implementation of Proposition 36 this month marks the biggest shift in criminal justice policy since state voters passed the three-strikes sentencing law in 1994. Under the measure, nonviolent offenders convicted of possessing drugs for personal use are placed on probation and in treatment programs paid for by the state. Those who sell or manufacture drugs do not qualify.Unlike Drug Court, which often involves three to five years of treatment, Proposition 36 enrolls addicts for treatment for up to one year, with no more than six additional months of after-care.Orange County officials said they weren't sure exactly what to expect at the start of their pilot treatment program but learned quickly that casual drug users were rare."The biggest thing we saw was that a lot of people eligible for Proposition 36 were pretty heavily addicted and have been for many years," Kreber said. "I didn't realize it would be so severe. I've dealt with individual cases over the years, but when I suddenly saw it as a group, I said, 'Whoa.' "Kreber said it was not uncommon for program participants to say they had been addicted to drugs as long as 15 years. San Diego officials found a similar pattern in their smaller study.Under Proposition 36, the state pays all treatment costs. Orange County's pilot program, however, was voluntary and participants paid for treatment. Kreber and others said this makes the results even more disappointing because those who took part had extra motivation to complete treatment.Havlena, the public defender, said he believes the fact that Proposition 36 treatment is free will make it more successful than the pilot program."The biggest problem, from a defendant's perspective, is that people with drug addictions aren't fully employed," he said. Note: About 40% do not complete treatment, leading some judges and prosecutors to fear the measure is too lax to ensure compliance.Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author: Monte Morin, Times Staff WriterPublished: July 15 2001Copyright: 2001 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/Related Articles & Web Site:TLC - DPFhttp://www.lindesmith.org/Drug Law Ushers In a New Erahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10309.shtmlCalifornia Tries Treatment For Drug Users http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10200.shtml
END SNIP -->
Snipped
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #4 posted by sm247 on July 15, 2001 at 13:22:01 PT
Don't tread on me
I'd say that is 700 people who need a legal means of using mj not prison or treatment your just spinning amerikaz wheels with this forced morality. Amerika is a dictatorship not a free country. YOU ARE TREADING ON US !!!!!!!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by FoM on July 15, 2001 at 10:34:22 PT
lookinside
That was well said. After I read your comment something came to mind and I was reminding my husband about it. When we went to Kent State in the 70s to get certification in a drug treatment program that was being develop one of the questions that was asked of us was what to do with a Meth Head.This is what they said would help.Because a person who abuses Methamphetamine burns out they find it hard to stop because overwhelming exhaustion sets in and most people need to work so they need to do more Meth just to keep going thus keeping the cycle going. They need to go to a farm. Way out in the country and be allowed to sleep and sleep until they start to feel like they are catching up plus proper food and then exercise. They believed in mega vitamin therapy too. After many months and health is restored most people can stay away from Meth. Relocating is very important. You need to be able to start all over again and that is where it gets really hard but it can be done.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by lookinside on July 15, 2001 at 09:42:22 PT:
personal opinion...
(i'm referring to ADDICTS here, not recreational/occasionalusers)i believe that treatment needs to be coupled with lifestylealternatives...methamphetamine and heroin addiction aredifficult to break...a complete change of environment,attitude, and goals are needed to keep an addict fromreturning to the self destructive behavior...also, we must realize that some people will NEVERchange...some people are predisposed because of earlyenvironment or even genetics toward the abuse of drugs...to minimize harm to themselves and society, those who cannotrecover should have these substances made available to them,cheaply and easily...incarceration does no good...it doesnothing for self esteem, and creates an adversarialrelationship with society...it is also very expensive...job training should be available to anyone intreatment...full employment is a positive step toward theself esteem needed to quit using drugs...relocation shouldbe an option during treatment, to avoid putting therecovering addict back in the environment that enabled hisaddiction in the first place...the point of this is that all these options should be in thehands of the person being treated...those who want to breakthe self destructive patterns of their lives willsucceed...those who truly can't face life without a fixshould be allowed to live their lives without beingharrassed by a system that does nothing positive...(assumingthey are otherwise law abiding..)proposition 36 creates an opportunity to find methods thatWORK...it's my opinion that many current(for profit)treatment programs aren't designed to work...repeatcustomers are their bread and butter...success rates shouldbe monitored carefully...those programs that do poorlyshould be eliminated root and branch...
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by ken on July 15, 2001 at 08:33:15 PT:
Well duh!
This is the reason that outright legalization with regulation is the only reasonable response to drugs. I'd be very surprised if they actually have a 40% success rate.You can not force people off drugs by prison or court ordered therapy. Just make the therapy available for anyone who wants it and shut down the drug war industry.
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment