Drug Treatment Programs in Prison: Drug Diversion Programs in California

California Drug Diversion Programs were designed to rectify imbalances with respect to drug crime punishment and rehabilitation. Facing over crowded and over burdened prisons and state budget shortfalls, the state adopted two programs, the PC 1000 Drug Diversion Program and the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act of November 2000. (Proposition 36)

These programs exist to provide drug offenders with rehabilitation options that do not involve incarceration.

To qualify for a drug diversion program, the offender must meet several criteria:

He or she must have had no prior convictions for the alleged drug offense.
The offense committed must have not been violent.
The defendant cannot have been on a parole or probation. If the defendant had once been on a parole or probation and had that privilege revoked, he or she would cease to qualify for the drug diversion program.
The defendant must have had no felony convictions dating back five years prior to the alleged drug offense.
The defendant cannot have had taken a previous drug diversion program.

Data gathered by groups like the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse point out the many wide scale benefits of alternative treatment programs. On average, they cost far less than incarceration. They also seem to save money on state healthcare costs and general productivity. Successful graduates of these programs on average boast a lower recidivism rate (i.e. rate at which they commit future drug crimes). Finally, according to the data, drug diversion programs seem to boost safety within communities and reduce overall criminal activity.

Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles have studied the impact of the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act and have lauded the program for reaching and exceeding its goals-although they do say that it’s currently under funded. The PC 1000 program requires treatment for an extended time for its participants but also provides a diverse array of services, including therapy sessions, group meetings, twelve step programs and schooling and information on HIV AIDS, TB, and other pertinent drug related issues.

Amber Portwood On Good Morning America – Teen Mom star Amber Portwood went on Good Morning America last week to explain why she chose a five-year prison sentence over completing rehab from prescription pill abuse. “I’m not just going to sit,” Portwood said during the interview. “I’m going to take substance abuse classes. I’m going to get my GED.” Her decision is an odd choice since she was offered out-patient treatment instead of prison, but she said the prison sentence will help her sober up and stay off drugs. The reality star was arrested on May 24 for violating her drug probation requirements by failing a urine test and then lying about it. It’s not the first time Portwood has been behind bars. She’s been jailed several times in the past for drug abuse and was court ordered to finish her drug-treatment program. She was also arrested last year on domestic abuse charges for beating her boyfriend, Gary Shirley, and lost custody of their three-year old daughter, Leah. Portwood told GMA that she has been suffering from depression and almost committed suicide by overdosing on prescription pills such as Suboxone, a drug used for treating opioid dependence. She said that when her depression kicked it, she would take “4 or 5 at a time.” She has made several suicide threats in the past year alone. “I feel like I’d rather do my time, get it over with, and make the best of the situation that’s been handed to me,” she said. Portwood is leaving her daughter in the custody of the child’s father, Shirley.

Former Oakland Raiders center Barret Robbins released from Florida prison

Filed under: drug treatment programs in prison

He was sentenced to a stint in a treatment program and probation, said the Miami station, but was sent to prison for repeatedly violating his probation. Robbins filed a lawsuit against police for use of excessive force. He described the incident as …
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Jury Convicts Man in 1984 Murder

Filed under: drug treatment programs in prison

A man accused of repeatedly stabbing a friend in 1984 after she rejected his romantic advances, then leaving her body to be found by her mother beside a blood-soaked bed, was convicted of capital murder by a Texas jury and sentenced to life in prison …
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