Treating the 'whole addict'

The Drug Offender Reform Act didn't pretend the be the magic wand that would cure drug addicts and salve their troubled lives.

But the point of the act was to interrupt the revolving door phenomenon of addicts who land in Utah's criminal justice system. Instead of handling their addictions as criminal justice matters, drug addictions would be handled as public health matters. Instead of funding prison beds, public funds would be earmarked for drug-treatment slots, with the intent of addressing the issues that led to addiction and the criminal activity that helped feed the drug habit.

Regrettably, DORA was ignored by the Utah Legislature in its recently concluded session. Even with a sizable surplus to work with, lawmakers did not fund the initiative. Rather, it became part of budget fight between the House and the Senate, in which DORA was pitted against funding for a second veterans nursing home in northern Utah. Rather than resolve the stalemate, lawmakers funded neither.

This ensures that, for the coming year at least, the criminal justice and substance abuse communities can expect more of the same: The return to prison of inmates who received no drug treatment. State estimates suggest drug offenders who undergo treatment are half as likely of reoffending.

There are no guarantees that people who undergo substance abuse treatment will kick their addictions. Recently, Deseret Morning News reporters Lucinda Dillon Kinkead and Dennis Romboy checked up on some 28 women in various stages of methamphetamine addiction in a special report titled "Generation Meth" published last November.

Some were clean and laboring to stay that way. Some had been released from prison and were attempting to restart their lives. Others had been kicked out of treatment programs because they had relapsed. Still others were attempting to regain the trust of their children and family members and re-enter the world of work, which is extremely difficult for parolees with drug histories.

Their stories exemplify the struggles all addicts encounter. Unless they gain a toehold on their addictions and establish some financial security, they can easily return to using illegal drugs and to other criminal activities to support their habits. It's in everyone's interest that addicts get clean and stay that way. Sen. Chris Buttars' SB 22 would have gone a long way to help addicts get on the right track.