Senate
Republicans Propose Zeroing Out
Voter-Enacted Drug Treatment Program
Senate Republicans today proposed
ending state funding for drug treatment
under Proposition 36—California’s
treatment-instead-of-incarceration
law approved by 61% of voters in
2000—even though the program
saves $2.50 for every $1 invested
in it. Advocates criticize the Senate
Republicans for attempting to override
the will of the voters in back-room
budget dealing.
July
23, 2007
Al
Gore III Faces Three Years in Prison
For Drug Posession; Californians
Urge Alternative to Incarceration
Al Gore III, the 24-year-old son
of the former vice-president, is
facing more than three years in
prison for simple drug possession
following an arrest in Southern
California earlier this month. Advocates
call for Gore to receive what most
non-violent, low-level drug offenders
in California do—community-based
treatment instead of incarceration
under Prop. 36, passed by 61% of
voters in 2000. The DA of Orange
County will determine Gore’s
eligibility to the program in the
next couple of weeks.
July
20, 2007
Assembly
Votes to Cut Life-Saving Drug Treatment,
Provide Tax Breaks to Large Corporations
The California Assembly today reversed
its agreement with the Senate to
increase funding for community-based
treatment for non-violent, low-level
drug offenders, voting instead to
cut current spending levels by $25
million. Advocates say the plan
to cut funding to the life-saving
and cost-effective program, in exchange
for hefty tax breaks for large corporations,
is a slap in the face of California
voters. Prop. 36 proponents ask
the Senate to reject the cut, pointing
out it would actually cost taxpayers
$62.5 million, and leave the program
short by over $100 million.
Ahead
of Monday Budget Release, Advocates
Urge Gov. to Increase Drug Treatment
Funding
Next Monday (May 14), Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger will release his
revised budget proposal for Proposition
36, California’s voter-enacted,
treatment-instead-of-incarceration
program. Advocates are calling on
the governor to heed the advice
of a recent state-funded report
by increasing funding for the program
to $228.6 million.
April
18, 2007
Hundreds
of Prop. 36 Graduates Form Chain of
Recovery at State Capitol, Celebrate
Program’s Success Hundreds of graduates and
supporters of California’s six-year-old,
treatment-instead-of-incarceration
program, will gather on the West Steps
of the State Capitol Building today
for the second annual “Prop.
36 Works!” rally and to form
a human chain of recovery. The event
celebrates the program’s success
and draws attention to the positive
and contagious nature of recovery
from alcohol and drug addiction, as
well as the need for greater access
to substance abuse treatment for all
Californians suffering from addiction,
especially those in the criminal justice
system.
April
13, 2007
Governor’s
Drug Treatment Funding Proposal Short
By $109 Million, UCLA Study Finds
Researchers at the University of California
at Los Angeles have found that California’s
six-year-old, treatment-instead-of-incarceration
program, needs at least $228.6 million
to provide adequate services, improve
treatment outcomes and increase taxpayer
savings.
April
9, 2007
LA
County Supervisor Burke Proclaims
“Prop. 36 Grads Day”
On April 10, County Supervisor Yvonne
Burke (District 2) will proclaim “Prop.
36 Graduates Day” in celebration
of the thousands of county residents
who have successfully completed treatment
under California’s landmark
treatment-instead-of-incarceration
law, Proposition 36.
April
3, 2007
Drug
Treatment Program’s Success
Downplayed in Recent Media Coverage
Recent media reports on California’s
treatment-instead-of-incarceration
law, Proposition 36, have called into
question whether that program has
been successful enough. Treatment
advocates counter that the program
has saved the state over $1 billion
while reducing drug-related incarceration.
They complain that the state is failing
to implement policies to further enhance
program outcomes.
February
21, 2007
Legislative
Analyst’s Office Recommends
Against Cuts In Prop. 36 Drug Treatment
Funding
The Legislative Analyst’s
Office today recommended the Legislature
reject Governor Schwarzenegger’s
proposal to cut funding to Proposition
36, California’s voter-approved,
treatment-instead-of-incarceration
law. The Drug Policy Alliance welcomed
the LAO report, which acknowledges
that the governor’s plan would
undermine the cost-effective program
and could lead to legal conflicts.
February
2, 2007
Gov.
Will Force Counties to Pay For Prop.
36 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
plans to force counties to pay a
share of Prop. 36 drug treatment
costs, or they will receive no money
from the state for the voter-mandated,
treatment-instead-of-incarceration
program. The sponsors of the 2000
ballot measure today said the governor’s
proposal poses several legal problems,
is sure to be resisted by county
governments, and threatens to decriminalize
drugs in counties that do not contribute
to Prop. 36.
January
10, 2007
Gov.
Slashes Prop. 36 Funds Deeper:
$25m Less Than ’06-’07
Budget, $90m Below Need
Today’s budget proposal by
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recommends
a deep funding cut for California’s
landmark, voter-approved treatment-instead-of-jail
program, Proposition 36. The Drug
Policy Alliance sharply criticized
the proposal, saying the governor’s
budget would undermine the success
of the cost-effective program and
shift more costs to already cash-strapped
counties.
September
14, 2006
Injunction
Blocks Controversial Drug Laws During
Lawsuit
Alameda County Superior Court Judge
Winifred Smith entered a preliminary
injunction stopping Senate Bill 1137
from taking effect while the court
considers its constitutionality. The
bill, blocked by a temporary restraining
order since July, would make controversial
changes to Proposition 36, the treatment-instead-of-incarceration
initiative passed by 61 percent of
voters in 2000.
July
13, 2006
Judge
Blocks Prop 36 Amendments Alameda County Superior Court
Judge Winifred Smith entered a temporary
restraining order (TRO) stopping Senate
Bill 1137 from taking effect. The
bill, signed into law yesterday by
the Governor, makes controversial
changes to the treatment-instead-of-incarceration
initiative, passed by 61 percent of
voters in 2000.
July
12, 2006
Drug
Policy Alliance Sues To Block Changes
to Drug Treatment Law
The Governor signed into law Senate
Bill 1137, which makes a series
of controversial changes to the
state’s successful treatment-instead-of-incarceration
law, Proposition 36. SB 1137, the
law signed today, threatens not
only this popular voter-approved
program but the entire initiative
process. In response, the Drug Policy
Alliance and the California Society
of Addiction Medicine (CSAM) immediately
began court action.
June
28, 2006
Legislators
Willfully Gut Voter-Mandated Drug
Treatment Program, Endanger Entire
Initiative Process In a vote late last night,
the Legislature radically rewrote
voter-approved Prop. 36, the state’s
treatment-instead-of-incarceration
law passed in 2000, to allow jailing
of nonviolent drug offenders. The
Drug Policy Alliance warned today
that the trailer bill passed last
night, SB 1137, will not withstand
a court challenge which could begin
as early as Monday, assuming the bill
is signed into law by the Governor
on Friday, along with the state budget.
June
27, 2006
Hostile
Changes to Prop. 36 Up for Vote Tonight
in Assembly
A popular and successful citizen initiative,
Proposition 36, could be rewritten
tonight when the California Assembly
votes on a budget trailer bill, SB
1137. Supporters of the drug-treatment
law say the trailer bill violates
the intent of the program voters approved,
and they will fight to prevent the
bill from getting the 54 votes it
needs to pass.
June
26, 2006
Drug
Decriminalization Could Begin in California
July 1 Beginning July 1, Californians
convicted of using heroin, cocaine,
methamphetamine or marijuana may simply
be sent home. The Drug Policy Alliance
warned today that drug treatment providers
in the state are running out of money
and that failing to allocate funding
will decriminalize drug use.
May
12, 2006
Prop.
36 Grads Give Back
Graduates of Proposition 36, California’s
treatment-instead-of-incarceration
law, met with legislators in the greater
San Diego area today to ask for their
continued support of the program.
Funding for Prop 36 drug treatment
will expire on June 30, 2006, unless
it is reallocated in the state budget
due out in summer.
April
06 , 2006
Prop.
36 Saved California $1.4 Billion
in First Five Years
A new state-sponsored study shows
that Proposition 36, which requires
treatment instead of incarceration
for drug offenders, is saving $2.50
for every $1 invested - a total
of $173.3 million in the first year
alone. The Drug Policy Alliance
said today that those savings, projected
over the program's first five years,
mean that California taxpayers have
saved $1.4 billion by diverting
drug users to treatment instead
of incarcerating them.
January
11 , 2006
Gov’s
Proposition 36 Funding Inadequate;Would
Cut Drug Treatment Services
Addiction destroys families, making
holidays like Father’s Day anything
but a celebration for parents who
have substance abuse problems and
the children who love them. But since
the passage of California’s landmark
treatment instead of incarceration
initiative, Proposition 36, thousands
of families have been reunited as
parents have broken the cycle of addiction.
As the four year anniversary of Proposition
36 approaches this July 1, the human
impact of the groundbreaking law is
being seen all around California.
September
21 , 2005
Proposition
36 and Adult Drug Court Invite Press
to Their Annual Picnic Titled Celebrating
Success in Recovery 2005
Addiction destroys families, making
holidays like Father’s Day
anything but a celebration for parents
who have substance abuse problems
and the children who love them.
But since the passage of California’s
landmark treatment instead of incarceration
initiative, Proposition 36, thousands
of families have been reunited as
parents have broken the cycle of
addiction. As the four year anniversary
of Proposition 36 approaches this
July 1, the human impact of the
groundbreaking law is being seen
all around California.
June
13, 2005
Father’s
Day: Dads Reunite with their Children
after Years of Painful Separation
Addiction destroys families, making
holidays like Father’s Day
anything but a celebration for parents
who have substance abuse problems
and the children who love them.
But since the passage of California’s
landmark treatment instead of incarceration
initiative, Proposition 36, thousands
of families have been reunited as
parents have broken the cycle of
addiction. As the four year anniversary
of Proposition 36 approaches this
July 1, the human impact of the
groundbreaking law is being seen
all around California.
June
1, 2005
Fourth
Anniversary of California’s
Popular Treatment Instead of Incarceration
Initiative (Prop. 36)
As the four year anniversary of
Proposition 36 approaches this July
1, the human impact of the groundbreaking
law is being seen in tens of thousands
of families all around California.
Graduates of the program are speaking
out about how the voters' approval
of the treatment-not-incarceration
law led directly to positive changes
in their own lives.
May
2, 2005
Bill
that Would Gut Voter-Approved Treatment
instead of Incarceration Initiative
(Prop. 36) Back in Committee
Despite a legal opinion from the
Legislature’s own attorneys
that her bill would be in violation
of the State Constitution, Senator
Denise Ducheny of San Diego intends
to bring the bill, SB 803, to the
Senate Public Safety Committee Tuesday
morning. It would radically overhaul
Prop. 36, the treatment instead
of incarceration initiative passed
in 2000, by jailing drug addicts
who are being treated as a result
of that initiative.
April 18, 2005
Tomorrow
Senate Committee Hearing: San Diego
Senator Proposes to Gut Voter-Approved
Treatment instead of Incarceration
Initiative (Prop. 36)
In 2000, Californians voted overwhelmingly
to reform their criminal justice
system by enacting Proposition 36,
the initiative requiring that people
be offered the option of drug treatment
instead of incarceration for their
first two non-violent drug possession
offenses. According to California
Department of Corrections data,
since Prop. 36’s inception,
there are 7,337 fewer prisoners
incarcerated for drug possession
in California’s overloaded
prison system.
December
20, 2004
Home
for the Holidays: Proposition 36,
California’s Treatment Instead
of Incarceration Initiative, Helps
Thousands of Graduates Reunite with
Their Families For many people who live on the
streets or in prison, the holiday
season is the hardest time of year.
But since the passing of Proposition
36, California’s landmark treatment
instead of incarceration initiative,
thousands of non-violent drug offenders
have had an opportunity to reunite
with their families. For many ex-addicts
who have graduated from the program,
this Christmas is the first time in
years that they have been able to
celebrate with their families.
September
23, 2004
California
Still Winning with “Drug Treatment,
Not Jail” Initiative California’s
groundbreaking “drug treatment
instead of incarceration” initiative,
Proposition 36, has yielded excellent
results in its first two years of
implementation, according to a state-commissioned
study
from the UCLA, released on Thursday,
September 23, 2004.
July
17, 2003
Prop.
36 Exceeds Expectations with Huge
Savings According
to UCLA’s first annual study
on Proposition 36 released July 2003,
Proposition 36 is affecting more people
than projected, and saving more money
than was predicted. Experts from the
Drug Policy Alliance and the Campaign
for New Drug Policies estimate that,
because of the high cost of incarceration
in comparison to the low cost of treatment,
California saved at least $275 million
in taxpayer money during the first
year of Prop 36 enforcement.
May
14, 2003
Prop.
36 'Realignment' Deferred, Probably
Dead As a Concept SACRAMENTO, May 14 - Gov. Gray
Davis effectively conceded defeat
today in his effort to force "realignment"
of Prop. 36 funds and programs, with
his May revision of the budget punting
the concept until next year.
March
11, 2003
Prestigious,
Bipartisan State Commission Evaluates
CA Addiction Response SACRAMENTO, CA, March 11 - The
prestigious Little Hoover Commission
- created in 1962 to investigate state
government operations and promote
efficiency, economy and improved service
- today released a report on California’s
strategies addressing drug addiction.
The report, a resounding endorsement
of Prop. 36, calls on policymakers
to follow the voters’ lead by
significantly expanding cost-effective
and successful treatment options across
the state.
February
13, 2003
Statewide
Groups, Dozens of Health Care Professionals
Oppose 'Realigning' Prop. 36
SACRAMENTO, Feb. 13 - In a show of
force today, more than 175 individuals
and organizations concerned with Prop.
36 implementation joined in a letter
to the governor and legislative leaders
to argue against changing the ballot
measure's guaranteed funding and oversight
provisions. [more]
February
12, 2003
Prop.
36 Sponsors 'Disappointed' by Davis
Plan to Proceed with Realignment
SACRAMENTO, Feb. 12 -Davis Administration
representatives yesterday told Prop.
36 supporters that they plan to proceed
with "realignment" of funds
and programs begun by the initiative,
effectively ending voter-guaranteed
funding levels and state oversight
of the program. [more]
February
7, 2003
Prop.
36 Supporters Warn Governor: Budget
Plan Is Illegal
SACRAMENTO, Feb. 7 - Governor Gray
Davis is being warned today that a
part of his budget plan would violate
voter-approved Proposition 36. Supporters
of the law, requiring drug treatment
instead of jail for drug possession,
vowed to sue if the proposal is not
withdrawn. [more]
January 16, 2003
Gov’s
Budget Plan Guts Prop. 36 LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 —
Sponsors of voter-approved Proposition
36, which requires drug treatment
instead of jail time for nonviolent
drug offenders, say that Gov. Gray
Davis’ budget proposal would
gut key provisions of the law. However,
they say the initiative simply cannot
be amended in the fashion Davis has
proposed, and they urged him to drop
Prop. 36 programs from the proposed
“realignment” of other state
programs to local governments. [more]
Early
Reports Indicate Prop. 36 is Working
as Intended The California Department
of Corrections (CDC) has reported
that the state’s population of
women inmates has dropped 10 percent
in the past year. Last week, the CDC
acknowledged that this decline is
due in large part to Proposition 36,
California’s groundbreaking initiative
that diverts people convicted of nonviolent
drug possession into treatment instead
of prison. [more]
Downey
Jr. to Receive Treatment, Not Prison
For Non-Violent Drug Possession Under the
terms of California’s landmark
Proposition 36, Robert Downey Jr.
will not be going to prison for his
drug addiction, a court ruled today.
The actor, who entered a plea of “no
contest” to cocaine possession
charges, was instead sentenced to
one year of residential drug treatment.
[more]
June
27, 2001
Prop.
36 Watchdog Issues 'Report Cards'
on California Counties' Implementation
Plans Advocates of Proposition 36 -
the new California initiative that
allows for treatment instead of jail
for non-violent drug offenders - issued
'report cards' today, grading 11 counties
encompassing 75 percent of the state
population on the quality of their
implementation plans. [more]
Get
the Facts
Over a dozen Proposition 36 fact sheets are available for download.
Topics include: the Effectiveness of Drug Treatment, Drug Courts/Deferred
Entry, and the California Correctional System.
