PROPOSITION TO DROP NUMBER OF FEMALE INMATES

CHINO -- The number of inmates at the California Institution for Women
is expected to drop significantly from the effects of Proposition 36,
the voter-passed initiative that sends drug offenders to treatment
programs instead of prison.

The legislation takes effect today and could have a big impact on the
prison, where more than 80 percent of the inmate population is serving
time for drug-related crimes, according to prison officials.

However, prison officials say that despite the projected drop in prison
population, it's premature to talk about job layoffs or facility
closures.

Inmate population at the institution has recently increased by about
200. That's against the trend at CIW, where the overall population has
gone down, said spokesman Lt. Robert Sebald.

The current population at the prison is 1,853, but it varies almost
daily because of inmate transfers to other institutions. At this time
last year, the population was 1,950, Sebald said.

"They can go up and down, but overall the number for female offenders
are going down," Sebald said. "A lot of the women that are here, about
82 percent, are here for drug-related crimes."

Sebald said prison officials do not expect an inmate reduction of 82
percent because drug-related crimes can include other offenses. Some
inmates may be serving time for a robbery or murder where drugs were
involved.

A number of factors have contributed to the decrease in the population
at women's prisons even before Proposition 36, said Margot Bach,
spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections.

Courts began diverting drug offenders to treatment programs before the
proposition became law, which naturally has decreased the number of
women sent to prisons, she said.

"Courts are looking at the proposition," Bach said. "They are sending
inmates to a private substance abuse program or one that is run by the
county. We are seeing that already happen."

About 12,000 people are treated each year at the 55 drug treatment
centers in the San Bernardino County. Six centers are run by the county
and the others are headed by nonprofit organizations, said Bob Hillis,
administrator for the county's Office of Alcohol and Drug Programs.

"About half of the people will successfully complete the entire
program," said Hillis. "Treatment works. As people come into treatment
they've been in treatment many times before. It's more of an ongoing
process."

Now judges are bound by law to divert drug offenders to such treatment
centers. Bach said that under the proposition, courts are required to
send offenders to a community-based treatment facility run by the
counties.

The proposition offers drug offenders who opt for treatment the same
rights they have under current law. It gives judges the authority to
dismiss drug felonies when offenders successfully complete treatment
programs.

Of 33 prisons in the state, 28 are for males, four house female inmates
and one is a rehabilitation center serving men and women. Bach said
prison population has decreased approximately four percent from this
time last year at the four women's institutions, including the
California Rehabilitation Center in Norco and a woman's conservation
camp in southern California.

This year, there are 430 fewer female inmates compared to last year.
There are 525 more men this year than last year, considered only a small
increase by state prison officials, Bach said.

Because of Proposition 36, populations among both genders will drop by
the thousands beginning almost immediately, Bach said.

"We are projecting that in the fiscal year 2001-2002 we will probably
see around 3,600 fewer inmates (men and women) coming to prison because
of Proposition 36," Bach said. "From this next fiscal year through
2005-2006 each year we see anywhere from 3,000 to 3,600 fewer inmates
per year because of Proposition 36."

It doesn't mean prisons will be closed down. The idea of closing
facilities, or having to lay off staff is premature, Bach said.

The decrease in prison population, especially among female inmates, is
also due to the programs parolees are directed to join once they leave
an institution, said Lynda Ward, deputy regional administrator for the
California Department of Corrections Parole and Community Services
Division, which serves San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, San Diego and
Imperial counties.

Parole agents refer inmates to the state's Preventing Parolee Crime
Program. It offers drug treatment and educational and employment
programs, helping to veer inmates away from crime.

The Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery program is an educational
drug program offering life skills, behavior modification techniques, and
nutrition information. Another is the Literacy Lab program that helps
parolees get their high school education or improve their reading
skills. Ward said these programs impact men and women, but "it may
benefit women more because women tend to be more receptive to recovery
programs."