05/06/1999 01:22 PM House JUD

HCR 11 - SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT FOR OFFENDERS                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN KOTT announced the next order of business is HOUSE                                                                     
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 11, Relating to substance abuse treatment                                                             
for offenders in the criminal justice system.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Number 2219                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
DONALD DAPCEVICH, Executive Director, Governor's Advisory Board on                                                              
Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Office of the Commissioner, Department                                                               
of Health and Social Services, came before the committee to present                                                             
HCR 11.  He noted that the responsibility of the advisory board is                                                              
to plan and evaluate prevention and treatment services for alcohol                                                              
and other drug dependencies.  He explained that the board went to                                                               
1,000 key-informant Alaskans and asked whether they feel that those                                                             
who have problems with addictions should be treated prior to being                                                              
released from prison.  That question elicited the most response                                                                 
from the survey.  The consistent response was that nine out of ten                                                              
key-informant Alaskans felt that those inmates with addictions                                                                  
should be treated prior to release.  As a result, it became part of                                                             
the board's planning activities.  The board began to review an                                                                  
outcome-based plan for alcoholism treatment and prevention.                                                                     
Previously, the focus had been with regard to how well treatment is                                                             
achieved.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. DAPCEVICH explained that upon review of the board's mission,                                                                
the board discovered that it also has to review the cost, to                                                                    
society, of not doing good prevention and treatment.  The board                                                                 
looked to the corrections system because many of those in the                                                                   
corrections system are there for committing crimes under the                                                                    
influence of alcohol or other drugs, or they have problems with                                                                 
addiction that contributed to their offenses.  Therefore, the board                                                             
is focusing on making sure that there are treatment opportunities                                                               
in prison.  More importantly, the board is reviewing whether those                                                              
who participate in treatment programs while in prison recidivate                                                                
less, which is the true societal cost.  Mr. Dapcevich announced                                                                 
that the board wants to partner with the legislature to make sure                                                               
that this happens.  He clarified that this is not a call for                                                                    
resources, but rather a call for consistent response and to not                                                                 
discontinue the good work that is being done.  This is also a call                                                              
to look at new ideas and better ways to do things.  He cited an                                                                 
example of such re-engineering as the partnership between the                                                                   
Department of Corrections, the Division of Alcoholism and Drug                                                                  
Abuse [Department of Health and Social Services], and the                                                                       
Governor's Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse [Department                                                              
of Health and Social Services] which formed a continuum of                                                                      
treatment for women in prison.  That treatment was provided by                                                                  
using federal resources, mental health trust authority resources,                                                               
and by tweaking the institution to make it work better.  It also                                                                
linked the treatment in the community for the women who were coming                                                             
out of prison in order to address the FAS issue.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Number 2416                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FRED DYSON, Alaska State Legislature, came before                                                                
the committee as the sponsor of HCR 11.  He commented that this                                                                 
resolution is a small piece.  He expressed the need for more                                                                    
flexible sentencing.  Furthermore, he would like to see those who                                                               
have alcohol involved in their crime to have their release                                                                      
contingent upon completing a program.  He said he would also like                                                               
to see successful probationary release.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES addressed Mr. Dapcevich's statement regarding                                                              
this not being an issue of resources, however everything costs                                                                  
money.  Representative James announced that she is supportive of                                                                
prevention, but it seems that this is something that should be                                                                  
organized and operated outside...                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
TAPE 99-57, SIDE B                                                                                                              
Number 0001                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES continued, "... and we add new programs in                                                                 
that costs more and we can't take people off the streets.  It seems                                                             
to me like this is a prime case where charitable organizations,                                                                 
given the access to the prison system, could do a better job than                                                               
if it was orchestrated by the state with state funds."                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON concurred with Representative James' comments.                                                             
He noted that each of Alaska's prisons has a fairly successful                                                                  
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program as well as a Narcotics Anonymous                                                              
(NA) program.  Representative Dyson sensed, from Mr. Dapcevich,                                                                 
that it would be helpful if there was a bit of tracking in order to                                                             
illustrate how successful we [these programs] are.  He agreed that                                                              
empowering the nonprofits in this area would be worthwhile.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG noted that he, as is Representative Dyson,                                                              
is a member of the corrections subcommittee.  Representative                                                                    
Rokeberg inquired as to the objective of HCR 11.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON replied, "I think it's a policy statement that                                                             
says, if we don't deal with the alcohol component of many people's                                                              
offenses, we will not get at the heart of their problem and essence                                                             
of what we need to do to reduce recidivism."                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG pointed out that passing HCR 11 could be                                                                
used to illustrate that the legislature didn't allocate enough                                                                  
resources to do this policy call.  He asked why this is being done                                                              
by a resolution.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Number 0100                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN KOTT said he didn't see where the resolution says the                                                                  
legislature hasn't appropriated the appropriate amount of                                                                       
resources.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG  referred to the second "Further Resolve"                                                               
and asked, "Does that mean Mr. Dapcevich has got to give up then                                                                
some of his money so we can put it in to corrections?  I don't                                                                  
think he wants to do that.  So, I'm not sure I'm following the                                                                  
drift here."                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES noted that she was willing to pass HCR 11 out.                                                             
However, she suggested that the "Further Resolve" at the top of                                                                 
page 2 should include language indicating that consideration would                                                              
be given or access would be given to private nonprofit agencies to                                                              
assist in this.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON reiterated that the nonprofits are already                                                                 
present, particularly NA and AA, and are doing a good job.  The                                                                 
language in the resolution does not preclude the expansion of the                                                               
use of nonprofits.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN KOTT pointed out that the resolution does not say the                                                                  
State of Alaska, it says Alaska.  He agreed that private sector                                                                 
involvement is critical in dealing with alcohol abuse and trying to                                                             
return Alaska's criminal population to be healthy and upstanding                                                                
citizens.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CROFT made a motion to move HCR 11 out of committee                                                              
with individual recommendations.  There being no objection, HCR 11                                                              
was moved out of the House Judiciary Standing Committee.