Pubdate: Wed, 07 Feb 2001
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2001 San Francisco Chronicle
Contact:  901 Mission St., San Francisco CA 94103
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Author: Jason B. Johnson, Chronicle Staff Writer

COUNTY TO DOUBLE DRUG REHAB SPACES

Prop. 36 Mandates Treatment Replace Jail

The number of people in government-funded drug treatment programs in Contra 
Costa will double to about 2,000 because of Proposition 36, county 
officials said yesterday.

To place all those drug users in treatment, the Board of Supervisors 
approved a plan yesterday to administer $3.1 million in new state funds the 
county will receive annually.

California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36 last November 
despite the opposition of most law enforcement groups. It requires that 
first- and second-time drug offenders be placed in treatment instead of 
behind bars.

The law also forces every county to add new resources to drug treatment 
programs to accommodate people who would have gone to jail or prison earlier.

"It's new territory," conceded Health Services Administrator William Walker,

whose department developed the county's plan. "It's because the voters are 
fed up. How many prisons are we going to build?"

Statewide, the measure calls for allocating $120 million annually toward 
treatment divided among each county. Los Angeles County put its Sheriff's 
Department in charge of its local program, while others, like Contra Costa, 
have picked the health department.

In Contra Costa, officials plan to spend about 67 percent of the $3.1 
million on treatment programs, 26 percent on probation, and 6.5 percent on 
the county's superior courts.

In December, a state report predicted local officials will have big 
problems implementing Proposition 36 by the July 1 legal deadline, because 
of the lack of vacancies in treatment programs.

 From July 1, 1999, through June 30, 2000, Contra Costa had 9,664 clients 
in its various substance abuse treatment programs.

Adding up to 1,000 more people to the system will require more counselors, 
residential space, and additional probation officers, county officials said.

Participants will likely range from hard-core drug addicts to weekend pot 
smokers. Some may be eager to participate, while others could be quite 
resistant.

"We may end up getting a lot of parolees," said Steve Loveseth, manager of 
the county's Substance Abuse Services Division. "People are going to come 
into this program and they'll fail."

Much also depends on how the district attorney's office decides to treat 
people arrested for drug offenses, especially if they face additional 
criminal charges, such as breaking and entering.

The district attorney's office is still formulating an official policy for 
dealing with Proposition 36, officials said.

Contra Costa Probation Officer Steve Bautista said he welcomed the 
challenge of trying to rehabilitate substance abusers before putting them 
behind bars.

"The intent of the law is good," said Bautista. "We're excited about it."
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