News (Media Awareness Project) - US CA: California: Fewer Drug Offenders Go To Jail |
| Title: | US CA: California: Fewer Drug Offenders Go To Jail |
| Published On: | 2002-04-23 |
| Source: | New York Times (NY) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-23 11:57:27 |
CALIFORNIA: FEWER DRUG OFFENDERS GO TO JAIL
An initiative that calls for treatment rather than jail for nonviolent drug
offenders is being credited by corrections officials as a major factor
behind a drop in female inmates. According to the state Department of
Corrections, the number of women in the penal system dropped 10 percent in
the last year, to less than 10,000. Most nonviolent drug offenders are
being sent into treatment as a result of Proposition 36, which passed in
2000. Some legal experts said it was too early to determine the effects of
the law, attributing the decreasing population to years of falling crime rates.
An initiative that calls for treatment rather than jail for nonviolent drug
offenders is being credited by corrections officials as a major factor
behind a drop in female inmates. According to the state Department of
Corrections, the number of women in the penal system dropped 10 percent in
the last year, to less than 10,000. Most nonviolent drug offenders are
being sent into treatment as a result of Proposition 36, which passed in
2000. Some legal experts said it was too early to determine the effects of
the law, attributing the decreasing population to years of falling crime rates.
Member Comments |
No member comments available...
