STUDY LOOKS AT NONVIOLENT DRUG OFFENDERS; SAYS ILLINOISANS PREFER TREATMENT
OVER PRISON

SPRINGFIELD An advocate group for addiction recovery centers released a
study Monday that, they say, indicates Illinois voters want the state to
send nonviolent drug offenders to treatment, rather than prison.

"The findings show that voters believe that this is a public health issue
and is better addressed by prevention and treatment and not criminal
justice," said Sara Moscato, associate director for the Illinois Alcoholism
and Drug Dependence Association, the group that commissioned the study.
"Illinois voters have said this is what they want."

Changing how the state deals with drug and alcohol addicts entering the
criminal justice system also could help save Illinois money and remedy a
looming budget deficit, the group said during a news conference at the
Illinois Capitol.

"In terms of a short-term solution, we're not going to see immediately the
entire budget hole be filled," Moscato said. "But in the long term, for
every dollar we spend (on treatment and prevention) we're saving almost $11
on the back end."

She said the group has contacted Gov. Rod Blagojevich and legislative
leaders to discuss how the state deals with addiction issues. However,
legislation to send fewer drug offenders to prison has not been introduced,
she added.

Young people especially are vulnerable when drug treatment is not
available, said Joan Hartman, the director of Riverside Alcohol and Drug
Treatment in Rock Island.

"We have a big problem," she said. "For some, the only way they can get
help is through the criminal justice system."

Hartman said marijuana is the No. 1 problem for youths who come to her
center for treatment.

During a telephone survey conducted in September, 500 Illinois voters were
asked their opinions on addiction. Slightly more than half said they had an
immediate family member or close friend with a substance abuse problem.
When asked whether drug and alcohol addiction is a public health problem
better handled by prevention and treatment efforts rather than the criminal
justice system, 85 percent somewhat agreed or strongly agreed.

The survey was conducted by Fako and Associates of Lemont, Ill. It had a
margin of error of 4.4 percent.

Moscato noted that other states have been considering the idea of sending
nonviolent drug offenders to treatment rather than prison to help curb
addiction. In 2000, California voters passed Proposition 36, which allowed
the state to route those convicted of possession, use and transportation of
illegal drugs to treatment, rather than prison. At the time, savings
estimates for California state and local government units ranged from $140
million to $190 million, according to the California Online Voter Guide.

"This and a lot of other things are under consideration," Blagojevich
spokesman Tom Schafer said. He added that creating a spending plan for the
state is not following a haphazard course.

"We're not going through each and every idea out there and saying, 'Yeah,
let's put this one in,'" he said.

Moscato acknowledged the state's financial problems will cuff government
spending over the next year. But she insisted the study has unearthed a
public attitude toward addiction that policy-makers cannot afford to ignore.

Melanie Whitter, associate director of the Illinois Office of Alcoholism
and Substance Abuse, said few of the state's incarcerated drug addicts are
given treatment rather than hard time.

"We think it' s a good idea," she said. "There are a lot of people who are
incarcerated whose primary problem is addiction. But we're also cautious of
efforts in other states because of the huge numbers of individuals in the
criminal justice system who need treatment. The system can't handle the demand."