UCLA Study of Proposition 36 Impact on Five
California Counties
Shows Increase in Drug Treatment Admissions in Law’s
First Year
Drug abuse treatment admissions in five California counties
rose as much as 27 percent in the year following implementation
of Proposition 36, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute researchers
report. The Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA),
enacted by California voters in 2000 as Proposition 36,
diverts non-violent drug offenders into county treatment
programs.
The researchers found increases in drug abuse treatment
in Kern (27 percent), Riverside (21 percent), Sacramento
(17 percent) and San Diego (16 percent) counties - primarily
in outpatient drug-free programs. The team found no increase
in San Francisco County, a region with a high number of
pre-existing alternatives to Proposition 36.
The UCLA researchers also found that Proposition 36 patients
were more likely to be men, first-time admissions, employed
full time, and users of methamphetamine and marijuana.
Heroin users and injection drug users are less likely to
participate in treatment through Proposition 36, and now
comprise a smaller proportion of treatment patients. In
addition, the research team noted a diverse range of implementation
strategies in the five counties, as well as some challenges
that need to be addressed
Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the five-year
study is examining key issues of Proposition 36 that influence
treatment systems and patient outcomes, and will identify “best
practice” approaches for treating drug-abusing offenders.
The first-year analysis appears in the October edition
of the peer-reviewed journal Evaluation Review.
“These increases in drug treatment clientele may
be due to natural growth in the treatment population, but
more plausibly can be attributed to Proposition 36,” said
the study’s lead author Yih-Ing Hser, an investigator
with the Institute’s Integrated Substance Abuse Programs. “Not
surprisingly, our study identified some challenges that
need to be addressed in the coming months. However, the
progress we found toward full implementation of Proposition
36 and creative strategies pursued by each county were
encouraging.”
SACPA represents a major shift in criminal-justice policy.
Adults convicted of nonviolent, drug-related offenses and
otherwise eligible for SACPA can now be sentenced to probation
with drug treatment instead of either probation without
treatment or incarceration. Offenders on probation or parole
who commit nonviolent, drug-related offenses or who violate
drug-related conditions of their release may also receive
treatment.
Implementation strategies varied by county, reflecting
regional needs and resources:
