Prop. 36 The Real Truth :: essays research papers

marriage offer 36The Real TruthAs you might already be aware there is a ballot initiative on this upcoming Novembers election about do drugss, and drug treatment. This measure is called Proposition 36. If this measure were to pass, recite law would be changed, so that certain non-violent adult offenders who use or possess illegal drugs would receive drug treatment and supervision in the community, not prison. Right now California is ranked number one in the nation for its rate of imprisonment for drug offenders. If Proposition 36 passes, California could kick the bucket number one for its treatment for drug offenders. The measure also provides state funds to coun sleepers to operate the drug treatment programs. Additionally, studies have shown that drug treatment is a far more effective than prison in reducing future criminal activity. Robert Roseman, a 51-year-old heroin addict from Sacramento says, I was always equal to(p) to get drugs in prisonall youre going to learn in pris on is to do crime better. Stephen V. Manley, President of Drug Court Professionals says that,Proposition 36 doesnt provide court-supervised drug treatment. It ties the hands of judges, hurts legitimate treatment and effectively decriminalizes heroin, methamphetamine and other illegal drugs. Drug courts hold drug abusers accountable with regular drug testing and consequences for failing treatment accountability not found in Proposition 36.Drug testing is a part of court-supervised drug treatment everywhere in California today, and it will continue to be under Proposition 36. There are no legal barriers to drug testing. adjudicate roll in the hay and will order appropriate levels of testing of offenders placed in treatment under the initiatives system Proposition 36 simply does not tie judges hands by prescribing a one-size-fits-all regimen for all offenders. A positive drug test can be treated as a intrusion of probation. Judges can also require individual offenders to pay for the ir own drug testing, as they do now in the "drug court" system, if they can afford it. (The cost of a test can be $4 to $7 per test.) The fact is tens of millions of dollars in state and federal funds already go to drug testing of criminal offenders through the court system and probation system. If more money is needed, this can easily be appropriated from the hundreds of millions of dollars saved each year by this initiative. Proposition 36 merely requires that its monetary appropriation for treatment programs must go to providing treatment services, where the need is so great.