SECURE TREATMENT WOULD ALLOW DRUG OFFENDERS SECOND CHANCE

Drug addiction has led to a proliferation of repeat criminal
offenders in Hawaii, creating an unsafe environment for our families.
Many of the drugs in circulation today, especially methamphetamine -
commonly known as "ice" - are highly addictive and can't adequately
be treated by community-based methods such as psychotherapy or
12-step programs. This is why I introduced House Bill 358, promoting
a secure drug treatment option. As an ex-drug addict testified before
the House Committee on Finance, "Drug addicts are stuck in a cycle of
delusion. Similar to temporary insanity, there is simply no logic to
their actions. They'll do anything to get drugs. Most addicts commit
crimes to feed their habit - crimes that stop when they become sober."

Because we are using jails as warehouses for drug offenders, the cost
of incarceration is skyrocketing and prisons are becoming
overcrowded. The United States has the highest per-capita number of
incarcerated citizens of any country in the world. Sixty percent of
male and 80 percent of female inmates in Hawaii prisons are
incarcerated because of nonviolent drug-related offenses. We need to
utilize a more proactive approach to deal with this public health pandemic.

HB 358 calls for a "secure drug treatment facility," preferably
modeled after the nationally recognized Second Chance program of New
Mexico. This program has four modules. The first module helps
offenders gain self-respect and life skills such as communication,
self-control and behavioral modification. Most drug addicts do not
have communicative and expressive skills, which causes frustration
and can lead to drug abuse. The second module involves physical
detoxification and health restoration. The third module improves
employment skills, and the final module works on restoring faith and
family reintegration.

There are numerous examples of drug addicts, even after sentencing,
committing violent crimes - killing innocent people who were in the
wrong place at the wrong time. Law enforcement and health
professionals must collaborate to alleviate this serious problem. A
secured drug treatment center is a facility employing security
protocols modeled after a minimum-security detention center,
including continuous direct supervision.

I have spoken to ex-inmates who described emotionally abusive
treatment in Hawaii's prisons. There also are many reports of illicit
drug availability. Exposure of vulnerable addicts to the same abusive
environment and accessibility of drugs in prison as on the streets
yields high recidivism rates.

It is also extremely important for vulnerable people, such as teenage
girls, to have a safe haven for treatment, away from drug pushers and pimps.

HB 358 is broad in its guidelines so as to allow social service and
judicial professionals the latitude to tailor it to the specific
needs of their clientele.

A secured drug treatment facility costs less and is more effective
than incarceration for reducing recidivism. Studies have shown that
mandated drug treatments has as high a success rate as does
voluntary. Keeping drug addicts in a secured environment, to ensure
that they remain clean and sober while they engage in treatment, will
prevent them from harming society. Alternative programs that include
house arrest or curfew using electronic monitoring devices and
surveillance, programs of regimental discipline and court monitoring
such as Drug Court also might be helpful.

Drug abuse is at heart a community health concern. If treated as
such, it doesn't need to become a criminal concern. Let's treat this
problem at its roots. Let's protect our ohana from harm.