[HARMRED] New Jersey Governor Calls for Mandatory Treatment for Low-Level Drug Offenders

[Mark Kinzly]

New Jersey Governor Calls for Mandatory Treatment for Low-Level Drug Offenders
 
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie this week called for mandatory treatment for all low-level drug offenders. The Wall Street Journal calls it “the most sweeping criminal-justice proposal of his tenure.”
In his State of the State address, Christie said, “”Every one of 
God’s creations can be redeemed. Everyone deserves a second chance.” He 
also called for a revision of bail laws to keep violent drug dealers in 
prison. He said the state’s bail system should mirror the federal 
courts, where judges decide whether violent offenders should remain in 
jail while they await trial if they are considered to be a threat to 
society or a flight risk.
According to the article, drug treatment advocates say the state’s 
residential drug treatment facilities are already overcrowded. “There 
are waiting lists of people begging to get into drug treatment. We 
should fund and expand it for the people who want it,” said Roseanne 
Scotti, Director of the Drug Policy Alliance in New Jersey.
In 2010, there were 51,985 people admitted into substance-abuse 
programs in New Jersey, compared with 47,442 in 2008. An estimated 62 
percent of New Jersey prison inmates have a moderate to severe drug 
addiction, the article states.
Christie once served on the board of a Daytop Village treatment 
program, and his wife volunteers with former convicts, including at drug treatment centers, the newspaper notes.
 
OUR CALLING IS THE PLACE WHERE OUR INNER JOY AND OUR INNER TERROR MEET
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Mark Kinzly

2 Thunder Hill
York, ME 03909
markkinzly at yahoo.com
860-724-5339
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