ADVOCATES ARGUE TREATMENT, NOT PUNISHMENT, WILL SOLVE DRUG PROBLEM

Time and treatment will solve the area's drug problems, not
short-term incarceration, said advocates for drug rehabilitation
programs and while Greenville County Sheriff Sam Simmons agrees in
principle, he said the solution to crime is punishment.

In an effort to curb crime Simmons said he is targeting street users.
His deputies arrested 35.7 percent more people in 2001 than the year
before on simple drug possession, while distribution and trafficking
charges remained fairly stable.

Carol Reeves, executive director of Greenville Family Partnership,
points out that it is the sheriff's job to arrest people when they
break the law and says arresting drug users is better than "looking
the other way."

But she believes more treatment is a must.

"A more strategic plan is needed," she said. "We miss a whole
opportunity here."

Kat Rice, Greenville Drug and Alcohol Commission executive director
said the commission is working on a needs study for drug and
substance abuse treatment for Greenville, but it will be three to
four months before it is completed.

Between 85 and 90 percent of crime is driven by drugs, and a big
problem is many people in Greenville don't want to admit the drug
problem exists, Rice said.

"This community is not that knowledgeable about drugs and alcohol.
Actually, a lot of people deny there is a problem here, but there is
a huge problem here," she said.

Simmons said while he is for treatment programs, arresting users also
cuts off the demand for drugs and in the long run helps curb violent
crimes.

According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, South Carolina is
a destination and a transshipment point for drugs going to the rest
of the country.

Violent crime associated with street gangs, which run the drug trade,
is a significant threat in places such as Greenville, Charleston and
Columbia, according to the NDIC. In 1999, South Carolina ranked
second in the nation in violent crime and sixth in prison
incarceration.

South Carolina spent almost $51 million on drug treatment in 2001.
Greenville accounted for almost $4.8 million of this treatment
spending, according to the state Department of Alcohol and Other Drug
Abuse Services.

Statewide, 54,447 people received treatment last year, and in
Greenville it was 3,694, according to the agency. However, more than
310,000 people in the state warrant treatment.

And Bradley Cuffel knows a lot about drug treatment.

The 36 year old spent 16 years of his life in and out of treatment
for various drug problems before finally going clean almost two years
ago. Cuffel said the choice was either go clean or face jail time.

"I'm one of the fortunate ones," he said. "At this time last year, I
was sitting in a jail cell."

Cuffel said it was a combination of facing jail time and wanting to
quit that made him go clean.

However, some experts question whether it's wiser to seek full-term
treatment for drug abusers instead of locking them up where stays are
generally short before going to trial.

According to Greenville County Detention Center statistics, the
average stay for a marijuana charge was between six and 15 days. For
inmates charged with cocaine possession, it was five to 13 days, and
the average was between 11 and 23 days on paraphernalia charges and
11 to 28 days for heroine possession.

Law enforcement officials argue that jail and treatment aren't
exclusive of each other.

Sgt. Donald Kenney, director of inmate programs at the detention
center, said there is a four-week program in place for inmates in
jail and an eight-week program for those in the work release program
that gives inmates a chance to learn about drugs. Both programs are
voluntary.

The detention center also has medical facilities for more serious
cases. "We've had an awful lot of inmates participate" in the drug
program, Kenney said. "It really depends on whether the classes are
going on in the areas they are housed. They don't have to attend them
all."

In some cases, treatment is an alternative to incarceration after an
arrest. Circuit Judge John Few said he orders it for about half of
the defendants he puts on probation.

Another avenue is Drug Court, which is designed for habitual drug
offenders with no history of violent crime. One is run by the 13th
Circuit Solicitor's Office in Greenville and Pickens counties, said
Judge Charles Simmons, who presides over the court that hears
drug-related cases.

The 18-month program is divided into four phases and designed to get
addicts off drugs and into jobs, Simmons said adding, "The whole
process is to train them."

Besides turning around drug offenders, the program saves taxpayers
money. Simmons noted it costs roughly $15,000 a year to house a
prisoner, but only $2,500 to put him/her through the drug program.

Solicitor's Office records show 113 people have participated in the
drug court program since its start in November 1998. Seventy-five
percent stayed off drugs, and only one person was subsequently
incarcerated. Figures weren't available for the percentage of
convicted drug offenders who enrolled in the program.

According to the Center for Substance Abuse in Maryland, people who
have received treatment for drug abuse after arrest are less likely
to be arrested again, less likely to commit crimes and more likely to
be employed then those with no treatment.

Cuffel said the main thing for him and others is they must want to
sacrifice and work for the treatment.

"It's not easy," he said. "You have to learn to be responsible for
yourself. You have to want it and be ready for it."