COUNTY OFFICIALS REVIEW PROP. 36 LAW TO STRESS TREATMENT OVER
INCARCERATION

Less than a week before Proposition 36 becomes law, drug treatment
providers and law enforcement officials gathered Tuesday to review San
Bernardino County's plan to enforce the controversial legislation that
champions treatment over incarceration.

Hundreds of people who will handle the cases, including judges,
prosecutors, police and probation officers and drug counselors, attended
a day-long seminar at the county's Behavioral Resources Center in
Rialto.

They discussed drug treatment, drug testing, evaluating addicts and
relapse prevention, and reviewed new paperwork designed to help
probation officers and treatment counselors monitor the progress of
those enrolled in treatment.

The meeting offered some who will be involved their first glimpse the
county's plan, while for others it provided detailed guidelines on
handling Proposition 36 cases.

After eight months of planning, county officials say the outcomes of
their plan are still unknown, but there is a commitment from law
enforcement and treatment providers to make the transition as painless
as possible.

"It's going to be a trial and error," said officer Robb McCandlish of
the Ontario Police Department. "It's a new system that we're trying and
we don't have all the answers."

When the measure takes effect on Monday, first- and second-time
offenders arrested under the influence or in possession of illegal drugs
will qualify for a treatment program rather than jail or prison time.

The county estimates 6,500 to 10,000 people will qualify for Proposition
36 terms during the first year.

That caseload could burden the courts, district attorneys, public
defenders, probation officers and drug treatment providers.
Implementation in the first year will cost about $12 million.

was on the November ballot, but he promised that his staff will support
the program.

"I call it the 'magnificent experiment,' " Stout said. "At first it was
new and unexpected. We didn't want addicted people running loose
committing theft and violence, but the county people got together to
make it work and I feel more comfortable now."

Gus Skropos, a judge assigned to the Fontana Superior Court, said he
believes the new law will be a challenge to carry out, but a worthy one
if it helps the stream of drug addicts he sees in and out of his
courtroom.

Skropos, like most judges across the state, did not support Proposition
36 when it was on the ballot because it doesn't allow judges discretion
to jail people who violate their probation. But he feels a change was
needed to deal with addicts who are snared in the criminal justice
system.

"We've got to do something," he said. "The old way of doing things needs
to be modified and maybe this will help."

One longstanding concern is having a sufficient number of treatment
centers to accommodate Proposition 36 cases. The county has 26
outpatient centers.