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April 9, 2007 |
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LA County
Supervisor Burke Proclaims “Prop.
36 Grads Day”
18,000 LA Grads Generated $51.5
Million in Savings
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| Contact:
Tony Newman (646) 335 5384 or Margaret
Dooley (858) 336-3685 |
LOS ANGELES, April 9
– 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.
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WHAT: “Prop. 36
Graduates Day” Proclamation , Graduates
will be present
WHERE: Board of Supervisors
Meeting Room, 500 W. Temple St., Los Angeles
WHEN: Tuesday, April
10, at 9:30am
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Margaret Dooley, Prop.
36 statewide coordinator for the Drug
Policy Alliance, said, “This important
recognition celebrates the county’s
Prop. 36 graduates and all of their hard
work. Prop. 36 graduates are proof that,
with the right support, addiction can
be overcome and people can vastly improve
their lives, reunite with their families
and reconnect with their communities.”
In Los Angeles County,
over 3,000 program participants graduate
from Prop. 36 each year. Home to one-quarter
of all the state’s graduates each
year, the county represents a huge part
of the program’s overall success.
During this sixth year of the program,
the number of Prop. 36 graduates in the
county will surpass 18,000, generating
$51.5 million in taxpayer savings.
The award proclaims “Prop.
36 Graduates Day” on April 18, the
day of the second annual “Prop.
36 Works!” rally in Sacramento and
coordinated celebrations in Los Angeles
and around the state. At last year’s
rally, over 500 graduates gathered at
the Capitol to celebrate the program.
Rally organizers, including the Beacon
House Association of San Pedro and the
Drug Policy Alliance, expect an even larger
turn out this year.
Prop. 36 by the
numbers
According to researchers at the University
of California at Los Angeles, each Prop.
36 participant saves the state approximately
$2,860. Savings for treatment graduates
is even higher. Using the conservative
figure ($2860), LA County’s 18,000
graduates have saved taxpayers at least
$51.5 million.
According to UCLA,
Prop. 36 saved at least $850 million statewide
in just five years. Six years into Prop.
36, the number of people incarcerated
for drug possession has fallen by 32%
(5,000 people). In addition, over 1,000
Californians on parole complete treatment
under Prop. 36 each year instead of going
back to prison. By diverting so many into
treatment, Prop. 36 rendered unnecessary
the construction of a new men’s
prison (saving another $500 million) and
also resulted in the shuttering of a women’s
prison.
Proposition
36 Fact Sheet
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