Stakeholder Consensus and Circumvention in Drug Diversion Programs: Findings From California's Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (Proposition 36)

• NCJ Number: 234388
• Journal: Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 41 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 2011 Pages: 45-68
• Author(s): Darren Urada; Christine Gardiner; M. Douglas Anglin
• Date Published: 2011
• Length: 24 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2007-IJ-CX-0031
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Award: From Inception to Implementation: How the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act has affected the case processing and sentencing of drug offenders in one California county

Annotation

This article review the California's Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA).

Abstract

Nearly 50,000 drug offenders are annually offered treatment in lieu of traditional sentencing as a result of California's voter-approved Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA). The challenges SACPA currently faces and their potential solutions may be similar to those faced by diversion programs in other regions. Stakeholders responsible for SACPA implementation were surveyed about the impact of recent budget cuts and were asked for suggestions on how to improve SACPA. Budget cuts undermined portions of the law that stakeholders agreed with and stakeholders themselves sought to circumvent portions of the law that they disagreed with. However, two areas of broad stakeholder agreement emerged: 1) funding should be increased, and 2) the option of brief jail sanctions for noncompliant participants should be made available. To address current challenges, key stakeholder groups should collectively draft and propose a revised version of the law using these areas of agreement as a foundation. (Published Abstract)