>>RIVERSIDE
COUNTY REHAB INFO
Time
Is Not On Their Side!
April
29, 2007
It
appears that there may be a shortage of Riverside County
Alcohol and Drug Rehab Centers. From detox bed space to
residential rehab centers to even State mandated Proposition
36 Programs, there doesn't seem to be enough Riverside
County Rehabs.
It's
been reported that there have been some Proposition 36 eligible
drug offenders having to endure lengthy waiting lists to enroll
in programs after being ordered into them by the courts. Somehow
it just doesn't seem right that the State of California has these
folks ordered to programs that are too full to accept them.
When
you think about it, the whole idea borders on cruelty. You give
an addict who is, left to his own devices, completely powerless
when it comes to drugs a 3 year probation term or suspended sentence
for drug possession, order him to stay clean and sober and send
him to a Proposition 36 Program for help. I'm with you so far, but
the problem is that he can't enroll in a program due to overcrowding
and then he's expected him to remain clean while he's waiting to
enroll. Duh! That is why he has to enroll in the first place, 'cause
he can't stay clean on his own. Remember? If he could "Just
Say No!" he wouldn't need the program, now would he? I hope
the probation department is cutting these people at least a little
slack on dirty drug tests, because time is clearly not on their
side.
Why
Riverside County Rehab Centers?
Actually,
upon further investigation, one quickly finds out that the root
of this dilemma doesn't reside within Riverside County Rehabs.
Proposition
36 was passed by 61% of California's voters on November 7, 2000.
This vote permanently changed state law to allow first and second-time
non-violent, simple possession offenders the chance to receive treatment
instead of jail time. The law went into effect on July 1, 2001,
with a $120 million budget for treatment services, allocated annually
for the first five
years.
The
current problem seems to be, requests for expanded funding in 2006
were ignored and Governor Schwarzenegger funded the program at 2000
levels, which amounts to a significant cut. One recent report even
suggests that the way the number of clients court ordered into programs
is increasing every year and the way the number of voluntary clients
has decreased annually, indirectly suggests that displacement of
voluntary clients may have already occurred at least, in part, because
of the demand for treatment by Proposition 36 clients.
Regardless
of the reasons why Proposition 36 clients are held in limbo and
voluntary alcohol and drug treatment clients are possibly being
displaced, we will be posting links to any new Riverside
County Proposition 36 Programs, bring you any news regarding
Proposition 36 funding and also, some links to nearby Riverside
County Alcohol and Drug Rehab Centers that the displaced voluntary
clients may find accessible.
Senate
Republicans 2007-2008 Proposition 36 Proposal
August
3, 2007
With
61% of California's voters approving Proposition 36 in 2000, the
program has provided drug rehab instead of jail for 36,000 non-violent,
low-level drug possession offenders annually. Prop. 36 has graduated
over 70,000 addicts in 6 years, saved the tax payers of California
$1.8 billion and helped ease the overcrowded conditions in our jails
and prisons.
So,
can someone explain to me what was on the minds of the Senate Republicans
when on July 25, 2007, they proposed zero funding for Proposition
36 in 2007-2008? Never mind that the voters approved of drug rehab
for addicts instead of incarceration even when almost every law
enforcement agency, nearly all district attorneys and most elected
officials in the state opposed it. Never mind that Prop. 36 is accomplishing
almost exactly what it was designed to do, why would the Senate
Republicans want to reverse the voters decision to promote drug
rehab over incarceration when all incarceration does is add to the
suffering of the addicted and their families. What the Senate Republicans
are promoting is a new repetitive cycle of addiction and incarceration
that turns tax payers into tax-spenders when they're incarcerated
for having an illness that involves a series of brain chemistry
disorders.
This
proposal to end one of the most successful programs since the end
of Prohibition in 1933, seems to be not only financially irresponsible,
but also a violation of their legislative duty to protect the will
of the voters.
home |
10
acre ranch |
orange
county rehab | california
drug rehab |
rehab library | rehab
news | rehab
links | sitemap
© COPYRIGHT 2007 ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED RIVERSIDECOUNTYREHAB.INFO
|
