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As the director of a substance abuse treatment program that I have been with for more than 30 years, I see everyday that treatment works. It is the most cost effective and only long term solution to reducing property crime. I worry where we will get the money to implement either 57 or 61 but 57 is the clear choice of the two. First it requires much less money, targets repeat offenders and funds treatment while 61 does not. I have many staff working for me who entered recovery through treatment. Prior to this they would be incarcerated, get released, and return to their criminal behavior until succeeding in treatment. My observations would support that short term incarceration can have rehabilitative value but longer term you lose this benefit and offenders usually return to the community having learned to be better criminals. Perhaps of most importance to me is that the fastest growing population commiting property crimes are women, most of whom have children. These children are traumatized by removal from their homes because of the poor judgement of their parents. We do not currently have the foster care resources to serve those children already in need. What will happen to the hundreds affected by measures 57 and 61. Once parents are rehabilitated through treatment, children can return to stable families in recovery instead of lanquishing in the foster care system. If we want to reduce crime we have to reduce the number of traumatized children who have an increased risk of growing up to be tomorrow's criminals. Because measure 57 recognizes the connection between addiction and property crime, it is clearly the right choice. Vote yes on 57 and No on 61.

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
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