STATE FUNDS TO SPUR DRUG TREATMENT

Kern County will get $1.2 million for treatment services under a ballot
measure requiring treatment of nonviolent drug users.

The funds - Kern's share of $60 million statewide allocated by Proposition
36 - respond to the new demand for drug treatment of certain drug offenders
once they are no longer being jailed. The measure takes effect July 1.

Kern officials said they did not know whether the funds would be enough to
cover the costs of the extra treatment because there are so many unanswered
questions about how the program will work. There are questions about which
offenders must go to treatment instead of jail, so it is not clear how much
treatment will be needed, said District Attorney Edward Jagels.

Many drug offenders now sentenced to treatment pay for that treatment, said
Steven Fambrough, a Kern Probation Department division director. There are
other free programs for those offenders who cannot afford it, but those
programs won't be enough to meet the new demand, Fambrough said. That's
where the extra state money comes in, Fambrough said.

Typical in-house treatment programs can cost up to $700 per month,
Fambrough said. Outpatient treatment is less expensive, he said.

After July 1, California counties will start receiving $120 million a year
for the services.