PROP. 5 WILL PROVIDE MUCH-NEEDED HELP TO DRUG OFFENDERS

The plague of alcohol and drug abuse has fallen upon Santa Cruz
County as it has fallen on the rest of California. Though program
providers scurry around, bouncing from case to case in what amounts
to a sea of triaged decision-making, the number of people who need --
and want -- drug or alcohol treatment far outstrips the ability of
county providers to help them.

The result of not being able to provide recovery services to all who
want them has led to one undeniable fact. Many of those who need and
who could benefit from treatment end up behind bars. According to the
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice in San Francisco, over the
past two decades the number of drug offenders who make up California
prison populations has increased by a factor of 25! California can
now boast the highest ratio of drug-offender incarcerations in the
entire country.

Since the cost of housing a drug offender in a prison approximately
$46,000 per year is considerably greater than the cost of treating an
offender's addiction, there's a social and fiscal disconnect that has
recently come under the microscope. This November, voters will have
an opportunity to correct this inequity and in the process, reduce
the overcrowded conditions in California prisons and eliminate the
short-term need to build more of them.

The Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act NORA, Proposition 5,
addresses these inequities. The Drug Policy Alliance www.Prop5yes.com
says NORA's passage will expand treatment for nonviolent offenders,
commit funding for treatment of prisoners and parolees, reduce
criminal penalties for marijuana possession, and provide funds for
youth treatment where there previously were none.

According to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office, the
approximate $1 billion needed annually to fund NORA will be offset by
a similar or greater amount saved in parolee-monitoring and
prisoner-housing costs. The LAO also projects a savings to taxpayers
of $2.5 billion over several years in prison-construction costs.

Locally, NORA's passage is expected to provide $4 million in
treatment funding, according to county program administrators. That
will save at least one financially troubled program from extinction
and go a long way in helping balance the "supply-and-demand" curve
for drug abusers and providers.

So far, however, law enforcement and Drug Court officials have not
warmed up to NORA. The Web site www.NoOnProposition5.com provides
counter talking points and is funded by the California Narcotics
Officers' Association and a Southern California American Indian casino.

Their points are quite inflammatory, including, "[NORA] provides a
way for those who kill or maim others while under the influence to
avoid criminal prosecution ... shortens parole for methamphetamine
dealers and other drug felons from 3 years -- to just 6 months ...
[provides] a get-out-of-jail-free card to defendants charged with
crimes including domestic violence, child abuse, mortgage fraud,
identity theft ... letting them effectively escape criminal
prosecution altogether." Pretty strong stuff, but not supported by
the text of the proposition.

In a recent editorial, the L.A. Times claimed that judges would be
"unable to jail someone ... as long as the perpetrator swore that
drugs made him do it." Also, not supported.

In response to these assertions, the proposition's authors insist
that only perpetrators of nonviolent crimes would be eligible for
participation in treatment diversion. Furthermore, the hands of
judges are not tied. They alone will make the decision to place a
defendant in a diversion program. And no one will qualify
automatically. Decisions about whether a substance abuse problem
contributed to a non-drug related offense, will be completely within
the judge's discretion. Starting Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. and continuing
through the week on Channels 26 and 72, Community Television of Santa
Cruz County will air a half-hour program that I produced titled "NORA
- -- The Incarceration Alternative" call 425-8848 for additional show
times. Experts on drug and alcohol rehabilitation will discuss the
merits of NORA.

I encourage readers to look into both sides of this proposition. A
thorough, 10-page analysis is provided in the Official Voter
Information Guide mailed to every registered voter by the Secretary
of State's Office. And see what local treatment experts say about
Proposition 5 by watching "NORA--the Incarceration Alternative."