PROGRAM 'TURNED MY LIFE AROUND'

Steven Wilkins knew he needed help nearly a year ago. He was homeless and
jobless again, had not spoken with his mother for two years and was in jail.

Methamphetamine and cocaine cost him his family, his home, a good job and
his freedom, he said yesterday in Balboa Park.

Wilkins and about 100 other graduates attended a picnic to celebrate
completing substance-abuse programs under Proposition 36, a state ballot
measure directing nonviolent drug offenders to treatment programs instead
of jail.

"This program, the House of Metamorphosis, turned my life around," he said,
sitting on a blanket under sunny skies. "I'm back in touch with my family.
They're very, very proud of me. I'm proud of me."

The initiative, passed by 61 percent of state voters, took effect in July
2001 and prohibits judges from handing out jail sentences to nonviolent
drug offenders. Instead, the offenders - 2,500 in the county so far -
receive drug treatment at one of 35 county providers.

In the yearlong programs, participants must attend individual and group
therapy and educational sessions, and are subject to random drug testing.
The measure allocates $120 million per year statewide for the program. The
county's share is about $9 million.

Jeanie Emigh, director of the San Diego County Probation Department's
Proposition 36 program, said the average drug-treatment participant is 35
years old and has nearly 22 years of addiction. Eighty percent are men.
They average nearly five previous criminal convictions.

"They are not newcomers to addiction and we're not going to convince them
of treatment overnight," Emigh said. "But rather than cycling them through
jail and probation, these programs assist them with their underlying problems."

Take Annie Major, 48, of City Heights, who was serving a drug- possession
sentence last year before accepting a Proposition 36 program.

"At first, I was very angry," she said. "But once I got into the program
and started learning that I caused all my problems, I realized it was a big
blessing for me."

Major, who abused rock cocaine, attends San Diego City College and hopes to
transfer to San Diego State University to study criminal justice and
counsel others with drug addictions.

"Some people think treatment is an easy way out, but it can be a heck of a
lot harder than jail," said Susan Bower, justice program coordinator for
the county's alcohol and drug services department.

Only those who had completed the treatment programs attended the picnic.
Organizers say about 70 percent of those who enter Proposition 36 programs
are completing them. They admit, however, it is still too early to
determine their success.

"The jury's still out," Bower said. "Our average success rate across the
county and nation is 50 percent. If we hit that with this program, it will
be a really good thing."

Al Medina, of San Diego County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, said drug
addiction costs California.

"Study after study shows a cost benefit to treatment programs," he said.
"One dollar invested in treatment avoids $7 in costs to the state."

Wilkins, who said he had abused drugs for 30 of his 39 years, has a
full-time job, a bank account and, more important, trust.

"I got the trust back from my employer," Wilkins said. "I used to work for
him. He fired me eight times, but he sees the change in me. I can take the
company truck home now. Recovery is a good thing."