GET IT STRAIGHT ON REHAB PROGRAM

As currently structured, Proposition 36 doesn't give judges or
probation officers sufficient authority to screen candidates and
enforce the treatment-instead-of-prison bargain on often recalcitrant
offenders. A UCLA study found that eligible offenders who had multiple
arrests in the 30 months before entering the program accounted for a
relatively large percentage of the crimes subsequently committed.
Tightening up on that group and on those who fail to appear for
treatment would make the proposition more effective at controlling
substance abuse and crime. At the same time, improving county
treatment systems to reduce waiting time to admission and to better
engage and retain these offender-clients is needed as well.

Angela Hawken

Research economist

The Integrated Substance Abuse Programs

UCLA