Meth-using moms who fail to clean up their lives are losing their parental rights

With all this looming, some child and treatment advocates say Utah lawmakers are not coming to the table in the state's battle with methamphetamine addiction, treatment and punishment.

"We are behind the eight-ball when it comes to state support of treatment, but the federal government has been great. We just have not had the (state) support," said Pat Fleming, Salt Lake County Substance Abuse Services director.

For example, about 85 percent of the offenders at the Utah state prisons in Draper and Gunnison have substance abuse problems — most of them meth.

Today, 70 percent to 75 percent of inmates released will offend again, according to Gary Blair, substance abuse administrator for the Department of Corrections.

A relatively new program at the prison shows encouraging results, but at least part of its funding is on the chopping block.

Inmate Noele Fennell, 34, is part of a growing female prison population. She is in prison for the third time, is a parole violator, and meth is her drug of choice.

Like all new inmates to the Utah State Prison, Fennell was screened to determine her best route out of the system. As part of this screening, an inmate's "issues" are identified as priority No. 1, No. 2, etc. . . . Any inmate for whom substance abuse is their first or second priority is automatically put on the Excell waiting list.

There are 130 women on the waiting list at any time, said Don Lankford, head of the Excell program.

Because nearly everyone in prison is a substance abuser, 95 percent of women inmates fell in this category. "Of course, we don't have the money or the resources to treat all of those people, but we do get to as many as we can," Lankford said.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration graphic Chilling effect: Multiyear photo series of meth addict, showing dramatic affects on the body over time Requires Adobe Acrobat.