DRUG TREATMENT MAY SAVE MONEY

SANTA FE -- New Mexico could save millions of dollars by requiring drug
offenders to go into treatment programs instead of jail, an assistant
public defender told lawmakers Friday.

"Changing the law and requiring mandatory treatment will reduce the prison
population, save the state of New Mexico money and reduce crime," said
Jacqueline Cooper, who manages the drug court diversion program in the
Public Defender's Office in Bernalillo County.

"We need to treat drug offenders for what they are," Cooper told the
Legislature's interim Courts and Criminal Justice Committee. "They are
addicts. They are sick people with a chronic illness. They are the mentally
ill with substance abuse problems."

Sen. Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, who chairs the legislative committee, said
lawmakers would consider Cooper's suggestions before the start of the next
legislative session in January.

"It's clear that if we just incarcerate without treatment we'll never solve
the problem," Sanchez said. "We need to start addressing it without
partisan squabbling."

Dave Miller, Gov. Gary Johnson's legislative liaison, said he was
encouraged the committee appeared willing to consider changes to New
Mexico's drug laws.

"Michael (Sanchez) was clearly holding out an olive branch in wanting to
work together," Miller said after the meeting. "Kudos to Michael for even
putting it on the agenda."

Miller said the committee's discussion of drug laws on Friday was "in
complete contrast to what we went through last session when the Legislature
stomped all over Gary (Johnson) for even talking about drugs."

Johnson recently created a privately funded advisory group to develop drug
policies in New Mexico in line with his national push to legalize marijuana
and to change other drug laws.

The advisory group, which is to report to Johnson by the end of the year,
is charged with developing so-called "harm reduction" policies in New
Mexico for harder drugs, such as heroin. The policies would include
treatment and prevention programs, needle exchanges and increased education.

"The governor is looking for common sense reforms," Miller said.

Cooper told lawmakers she believes penalties should be reduced for felony
drug possession and drug trafficking charges, while detoxification centers,
drug courts and in-house residential treatment centers should be expanded.

She said it costs about $28,000 a year, or $76 a day, to jail a drug
offender. By contrast, the drug court program costs about $5,000 a year, or
$14 a day, per participant.

"Almost $3 million a year could be saved by keeping 100 possession cases
out of prison," Cooper said.

The state's drug court program began as a pilot project in 1995 in
Bernalillo County. As of May, 304 individuals had completed the nine-month
mix of treatment and strict supervision. Eleven other drug courts operate
in New Mexico, with four more planned.