Gina J.

My name is Gina and I am a proud graduate of Prop 36 in Sacramento. After 14 years of drugs/gangs/incarceration, I was given the opportunity to participate in the Prop 36 program. I did not believe that it would work for someone like me. I ran the streets, left my kids to my mom and I had no desire to quit. I was on my way to prison for a 3-year sentence and got Prop 36 instead.

In my mind I knew that the worse scenerio would be that I would fail the program and just do the three years, which at the time I thought was going to be the end result anyway. For the first 5 months I played around still trying to run things my way and got violated twice, but my counselor never gave up on me.

She saw something in me that I couldn't see in myself, so she sent me to residential treatment. I graduated residential treatment and continued on with out patient treatment with no more violations. In Sept 2006 I successfully graduated the program. Today I am a productive member of society. I work for the State of California, I own a vehicle, I have my own place and, most importantly, I am reunited with my kids.

The Prop 36 program saved my life.

I would like to thank the voters for seeing the need and making the Prop 36 program possible, also for the people who are giving back to the suffering addicts. In their eyes they are only doing their jobs, but in reality they are bringing hope to so many lost and broken people, who lost there dreams behind addiction. Thank you for not giving up on those who have already given up on themselves.