Pubdate: Sun, 14 Aug 2005
Source: Whittier Daily News (CA)
Copyright: 2005 MediaNews Group, Inc
Contact: 
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,207%257E12045%257E,00.html
Website: http://www.whittierdailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/497
Author: Mark Scott
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1267/a06.html?105209

TREAT DON'T IMPRISON

The Monday, Aug. 8 article "Local pastors rally around Proposition 36' was 
refreshing. Giving the addict an opportunity to participate in a treatment 
program rather than prison has been a godsend for many of the recovering 
addicts that I know.

I have been sober and in recovery for the past 20 years. I was not given 
that chance when I was arrested for drug related offenses 28 years ago.

As Ken Fisher who was quoted in the article said, "when I was in jail, I 
was just making better connections for nefarious activities. When I was 
released from my jail stint, I went right back to substance abuse without 
any understanding of the addiction process or of the coping skills needed 
to combat my urges; skills taught in treatment programs.'

An estimated 14 percent of our population suffers from the disease of 
addiction whether to licit (alcohol or nicotine) or illicit substances. 
Some think that figure is low.

The cost of this on our society in terms of dollars, lost productivity, 
health care and broken families would be prohibitive.

One dollar of treatment is worth $7 of the cost of jails, institutions and 
death. One recovered person affects a minimum of five people in a positive 
manner (mostly family members).

These are figures released by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services 
Administration, a government-funded agency. And yet, the majority of monies 
addressing this endemic illness in our culture is still spent on 
interdiction, stopping the supply rather than dealing with the demand.

Are politicians not reading the reports paid for by our tax dollars? Or, do 
they just not believe them? The under-funding of treatment programs such as 
Allen House, Cider House, Foley House, H.O.W. House, Mid Valley Recovery 
Center and Spiritt Family Services that service residents of the Whittier- 
San Gabriel Valley areas competing for precious resources. I have talked to 
directors in all of these programs and universally they lament the 
inadequacy of funds available to them. Approximately 30 percent of the 
people who enter a treatment program remain sober for five years or longer.

With better funding that number could be much higher. Family treatment, 
early intervention and better access to health care are some of the 
deficits that treatment agencies are forced to contend with because of a 
lack of sufficient capital.

As executive director of The H.O.W. House, I know Proposition 36 and drug 
courts are a step in the right direction. SB 803 is just business as usual. 
James Wilson, program director of Cider House put it well, "If 
incarceration worked, we wouldn't have such high recidivism rates with our 
traditional punitive system.'

Mark Scott

Whittier
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