Hi, hope I'm not troubling the forum but I'm wondering if I might be able to get some info. I'm a student working on a class project for a group presentation. Our topic is "why we think non-violent convicted drug addicts should receive treatment / go to rehab instead of being sent to jail / prison. During my research for info I've noticed that both have their Pros & Cons but we're trying to show that a treatment center that's not in jail would be a better way to go.

I would appreciate any info, insight, opinions, experiences, or feedback about this, even if you agree or disagree. I'm wondering what the most common form of treatment is - where or what most addicts seeking help end up doing or going, most commonly used treatment model. Average length an inpatient patient can expect to stay, and what usually happens afterwards when they're an out-patient (how is treatment continued). If the number of years a person has been an addict or the if severity of the addiction would affect the success /outcome of treatment. How people go about choosing a treatment center and go about paying for it. What some important things to look for are when choosing a place, and any pros & cons info about any of this.

Hope my questions make some sense, not quite sure what to ask but thanks in advance for your time and any info :) !

well, this is just my opinion..ill try to keep it short & sweet..PM me if you need me to explain what i have said & or if you have any questions...

well, ok...i think that if someone has a non violent drug charge..then they should have the option of going into a treatment facility...

IMO--i feel there are some drawbacks to sending someone to treatment that does not want to go. mainly because they are not being sent because THEY want to go they are being sent because the COURTS want them to go. i find it to be useless to force someone to do something they dont want to do. you will not only be wasting taxpayers money..(what was the prop...36? 29?), wasting the persons time..and it will be like talking to a brick wall. they could do good while they are in, but unless they take what they have learned & apply it to their daily life, then a treatment facility for an unwilling participant..will be useless.

i think that they (states) have gotten rid of so many usefull things in the prisons..ie: AA, NA, CA..that its a shame...if i were to get a drug conviction..and sent to prison for 5 years, and told to do AA & NA and all this crap, how am i to benefit from it if they keep taking away the programs i need to do to better myself? does that make sense?

there are many different treatment facilities. there is something called "drug court"...they have them everywhere. i first learned about drug court, when i was living in santa cruz..about 3 yrs ago...(i had just recently been released from a program then)..anyways...drug court is difficult..its tough, one girl, killed herself..because, she could not handle it..my old friend, she attempted suicide over it...(that and alot of personal crap).

umm, average length..depends on what type of facility it is. the one i went through.."janus of santa cruz" was 28 days..there is "the camp" in scotts valley, that is 30 days i believe. (janus is around $5000 & the camp is around $10k i think). then you have "new life" in santa cruz, that is 6 month. residential...its nasty there, its dirty, theres too many people, its gross. there is ummm...sh*t what is it called...oh si se puede (sp) it is in watsonville. it is for men...its between 9-12 months...that costs..well it depends on how much you make each month...and that program is hard hard hard.
there is "sunflower house" in santa cruz. that is difficult. most dont pass. it is a behavorial modification place...

umm. well, lol thats it from me for now....PM me if you need any more info....i was pretty much skimming the surface..just to give you some info...but i have alot more info then that.

xoxo
melissa

Hi! I was assigned to treatment, and I won't say that it DIDN'T help me, but it didn't stop my drinking at the time. But if the seed hadn't been planted in my mind, I might not have stopped when I did, & I hate to think what might have happened instead. Prison would only have made me worse. Good luck with your paper--it's an important topic and I hope others will share their inside-insights. Ralph

I am more familiar with the programs in the SF Bay area. More specifically the processes of the federal system from arrest up to incarceration, also called Pretrial. I will comment on this only since I cannot yet share first-hand knowledge of treatment during, or post-incarceration.

Drug offenders are evaluated prior to release on bond to determine their dependence and level of need for rehabilitation. Any admission of drug use seems to require a minimum of once-a-week drug counseling through a federally contracted counseling service. Additionally, random drug testing is done about 6 times per month, also through a government contractor.

The counselor has a great deal of influence over your treatment plan since they are in regular communication with the Pretrial Services Officer supervising you. If the counselor sees you are having difficulty staying off drugs, or suspects you are using drugs, your treatment will change. Depending on the perceived difficulty you're having it could be requiring group counseling, attendance at sobriety meetings (LifeRing, NA, etc.), or residential rehabilitation. In extreme cases you may end up with your bond revoked and back in jail.

The effectiveness of these programs is marginal. I don't think, necessarily, that it is because people do not want recovery but because, at that moment in time, it is not the number one priority. Most people in this situation want to do whatever is necessary to stay out of jail or minimize their time in jail. For me the consequence of not doing well would mean no break in sentencing, more restrictions during the pretrial phase of the process, and the likelihood of being put back behind bars. So the priority of recovery becomes secondary to freedom.

----This is my introduction, basically, to my take on the federal post-offense treatment program. If you want me to go into detail on any of this I would be happy to do so. Send me a private message or ask me to do it here, anyway is fine.

Good luck.
Joe