REPORT TITLE:
Drug treatment


DESCRIPTION:
Mandates substance abuse assessment or treatment for offenders
under the custody of the Department of Public Safety.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                     A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds:
 
 2      (1)  A growing body of research demonstrates the destructive
 
 3           impact of alcohol and other drug abuse on personal
 
 4           health and health care costs, the spread of
 
 5           communicable disease, educational performance and
 
 6           attainment, work force participation, safety and
 
 7           productivity in the workplace, and financial stability.
 
 8           These indicators of social erosion are in turn related
 
 9           to crime in many obvious but hard to measure ways.
 
10           Given the recognized relationship between crime and
 
11           substance abuse and addiction, it is necessary and
 
12           appropriate to use, adapt, and expand the resources and
 
13           remedies available within the criminal justice system
 
14           to address the problem of substance abuse dependency
 
15           and thereby to help reduce the demand for illicit drugs
 
16           and the incidence of drug-related crimes.
 
17      (2)  Studies, such as the drug use forecasting studies
 
18           conducted by the National Institute of Justice, reveal
 
19           that a large percentage of persons arrested for both
 
20           drug and nondrug offenses (such as thefts, burglaries,
 

 
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 1           robberies, assaults, rapes, and homicides) test
 
 2           positive for recent drug use.  Many offenses are
 
 3           committed by adults who are under the influence of a
 
 4           controlled substance or alcohol or are committed in
 
 5           order to raise revenues to support the person's drug
 
 6           habit.  Some mind and mood altering drugs, moreover, 
 
 7           seem to induce criminal and often violent behavior,
 
 8           reducing the person's inhibitions as well as the
 
 9           person's ability to anticipate future consequences,
 
10           thereby undermining the deterrent thrust of the
 
11           criminal law.  Some drugs also may reduce an offender's
 
12           ability to empathize with a potential victim, resulting
 
13           in episodes of seemingly mindless violence.  Finally,
 
14           some crimes, including crimes of violence, are
 
15           committed in the normal course of conducting illicit
 
16           drug businesses and enterprises.  These include strong
 
17           arm robberies and "rip-offs", violent retaliations for
 
18           these offenses, and efforts to protect markets and
 
19           "turf" by means of intimidation and terrorism directed
 
20           against would-be competitors and drug purchasers who
 
21           patronize competing drug distributors.
 
22      (3)  Research has demonstrated that substance abuse and
 
23           addiction is treatable within the offender population
 

 
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 1           and that appropriate actions by criminal justice
 
 2           professionals can foster the effectiveness of
 
 3           treatment.  This research further demonstrates that the
 
 4           effectiveness of substance abuse treatment is directly
 
 5           related to the length of stay in treatment.  The threat
 
 6           of criminal justice sanctions, in turn, can be used to
 
 7           motivate offenders to enter treatment and stay in
 
 8           treatment for as long as necessary to effect positive
 
 9           change.  To achieve this change, treatment must be of
 
10           sufficient duration and intensity, must be supported by
 
11           periodic comprehensive drug testing to maintain program
 
12           integrity, must be provided by professional staff who
 
13           have received adequate training and who continue to
 
14           receive training and adequate supervision, and must
 
15           provide for the continued collection and analysis of
 
16           program data to allow for both process and impact
 
17           evaluation.  Moreover, the drug and alcohol treatment
 
18           programs must be accredited by the department of health
 
19           and must be appropriate in type, duration, and
 
20           intensity based upon the length and level of treatment
 
21           derived from an alcohol and other drug assessment of
 
22           each individual's needs, balanced with the public's
 
23           right to protection.
 

 
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 1      (4)  Few addicts voluntarily seek help for a substance abuse
 
 2           problem.  Many drug dependent persons deny that they
 
 3           have a problem.  Consequently, the decision to
 
 4           participate in treatment typically is the result of
 
 5           pressure brought to bear by other persons, including
 
 6           family members, friends, co-workers, employers, medical
 
 7           and health care professionals, school officials,
 
 8           courts, or law enforcement agencies.  Since a
 
 9           substantial percentage of referrals for substance abuse
 
10           treatment come from law enforcement agencies, the law
 
11           enforcement community acts as a major point of entry to
 
12           the substance abuse treatment system.  It is in the
 
13           public interest to use the coercive powers of the law
 
14           enforcement community and their jurisdiction over
 
15           persons charged with committing crimes to
 
16           constructively influence substance abusing and addicted
 
17           offenders and to provide strong incentives for these
 
18           offenders to accept help and to participate and remain
 
19           as long as necessary in meaningful treatment and
 
20           monitoring programs.
 
21      (5)  Most addicted offenders who are convicted of serious
 
22           crimes and who are sentenced to terms of imprisonment
 
23           will eventually be released back into the community on
 

 
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 1           parole or at the expiration of their sentences.
 
 2           Without proper treatment, an offender is likely to
 
 3           continue to be drug dependent and to commit new
 
 4           offenses, resulting in further injury to victims, loss
 
 5           of property, and the expenditure of scarce resources to
 
 6           identify, apprehend, prosecute, and return the offender
 
 7           to confinement.  Under these circumstances, the
 
 8           overriding need to protect the public safety requires
 
 9           that all substance abusing and addicted offenders
 
10           receive appropriate treatment and monitoring services,
 
11           based on the individual's need as determined by an
 
12           alcohol and other drug assessment, either in lieu of or
 
13           during the course of traditional imprisonment, and
 
14           continue to receive needed treatment or appropriate
 
15           aftercare, support, or monitoring services as a
 
16           condition of parole or other release from confinement.
 
17      (6)  Persons charged with repeat offenses who actively abuse
 
18           or are addicted to a controlled substance or alcohol
 
19           and who are not undergoing appropriate treatment and
 
20           monitoring pose a proportionately greater risk of
 
21           criminal recidivism. 
 
22      (7)  To ensure uniformity and the best possible use of
 
23           limited resources, the department of health must
 

 
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 1           develop and enforce accreditation and operational
 
 2           standards for all programs, whether public or private,
 
 3           that provide substance abuse assessment services or
 
 4           treatment services to adults who are repeat offenders
 
 5           who are inmates in correctional centers and facilities.
 
 6      (8)  For treatment and intervention services to be most
 
 7           effective, alcohol and other drug abusing and addicted
 
 8           offenders must be assured that information provided
 
 9           during the course of treatment and counseling will be
 
10           kept confidential in accordance with 42 United States
 
11           Code section 290dd-3 and 42 C.F.R. Part 2, which govern
 
12           the confidentiality of alcohol and other drug abuse
 
13           treatment records.  Without these protections, an
 
14           offender in need of alcohol and other drug treatment
 
15           services may be discouraged from constructively
 
16           engaging in the treatment process.  Preserving the
 
17           confidentiality of treatment information and records is
 
18           consistent with the vital goal of holding alcohol and
 
19           other drug abusing and addicted offenders fully
 
20           accountable for their past and future actions.
 
21      The purpose of this Act is to mandate substance abuse
 
22 assessment and treatment program for all inmates in correctional
 
23 centers and facilities, who are alcohol or drug dependent, or who
 

 
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 1 are otherwise in need of substance abuse treatment and
 
 2 monitoring.  It is the intent of this Act to hold substance
 
 3 abusing repeat offenders accountable for their past and future
 
 4 actions by means of an effective combination of rewards, threats,
 
 5 and swiftly imposed punishments and sanctions designed to take
 
 6 full advantage of the coercive influence of the criminal justice
 
 7 system.
 
 8      SECTION 2.  Chapter 353G, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 9 amended to read as follows:
 
10      "§353G-    Interagency coordination.  (a)  To carry out
 
11 their responsibilities under section 353G-1, the department of
 
12 public safety, Hawaii paroling authority, judiciary, department
 
13 of health, department of human services, and any other agency
 
14 assigned oversight responsibilities for offender substance abuse
 
15 treatment by law or administrative order, shall establish, by an
 
16 interagency cooperative agreement, a coordinating body to oversee
 
17 the development and implementation of offender substance abuse
 
18 treatment programs in the State to ensure compliance with the
 
19 intent of the master plan developed under section 353G-1.  The
 
20 interagency cooperative agreement shall set forth the role of the
 
21 coordinating body and the responsibilities of each agency that is
 
22 a party to the agreement.
 

 
 
 
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 1      (b)  The department of public safety shall be the lead
 
 2 agency for the statewide offender substance abuse treatment
 
 3 program.  As the lead agency, the department shall act as
 
 4 facilitator of the coordinating body by providing administrative
 
 5 support to the coordinating body.
 
 6      (c)  Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary,
 
 7 any agency that is part of the interagency cooperative agreement
 
 8 shall provide, upon the request of any other participating
 
 9 agency, all medical, psychological, or mental health records of
 
10 any offender receiving supervision or treatment while under
 
11 custody of the State."
 
12      SECTION 3.  Section 353G-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes is
 
13 amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
 
14      "[[]§353G-3[]]  Mandatory drug testing of [repeat]
 
15 offenders.(a)  Any inmate who has been convicted of an offense
 
16 under chapter 329, 329C, 707, 708, 709, 710, 711, or 712, [and
 
17 has one prior conviction under any of these chapters,] shall be
 
18 required to submit to drug testing."
 
19      SECTION 4.  Section 353G-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
20 amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
 
21      "[[]§353G-4[]]  Mandatory assessment of offenders.(a)  Any
 
22 inmate who has been convicted of [more than one] an offense under
 
23 chapter 329, 329C, 707, 708, 709, 710, 711, or 712, [and has one
 

 
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 1 prior conviction under any of these chapters,] shall be required
 
 2 to undergo an assessment if:
 
 3      (1)  The inmate refuses to undergo a drug test required
 
 4           under section 353G-3;
 
 5      (2)  The results of the drug test conducted pursuant to
 
 6           section 353G-3 reveal the presence of a controlled
 
 7           substance, for which the inmate has no lawful
 
 8           prescription, or reveals alcohol abuse or dependency;
 
 9      (3)  The inmate requests an assessment;
 
10      (4)  The inmate admits to the unlawful use of a controlled
 
11           substance within the year preceding the conviction for
 
12           the present charge or admits to alcohol abuse or
 
13           alcoholism;
 
14      (5)  The inmate has been granted a conditional discharge
 
15           within the past five years pursuant to section 712-1255
 
16           or any similar or predecessor law of this State, any
 
17           other state, or federal law;
 
18      (6)  The inmate has been sentenced within the past five
 
19           years to probation or treatment during incarceration
 
20           pursuant to this chapter or any predecessor law of this
 
21           State, any other state, or federal law; or
 
22      (7)  The present or pending charge involved the use or
 
23           possession of a controlled substance or alcohol."
 

 
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 1      SECTION 5.  Section 353G-16, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 2 amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
 
 3      "(a)  The department of public safety, with the assistance
 
 4 of the department of health[,] and the attorney general, shall
 
 5 pursue all available funding through federal, state and local
 
 6 government programs [and] or private sources.  [Contingent upon
 
 7 the receipt of sufficient funds, the department of public safety
 
 8 may implement the assessment and treatment services mandated
 
 9 pursuant to this chapter.  If at any time funds are not
 
10 available, the department may not be required to provide these
 
11 services.]  In addition, the department of public safety, in
 
12 conjunction with the department of health, may pursue all
 
13 available federal matching funds through medicaid for nonhospital
 
14 residential alcohol and other drug treatment services from the
 
15 United States Health Care Financing Administration."
 
16      SECTION 6.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
17 New statutory material is underscored.
 
18      SECTION 7.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 1999.
 
19 
 
20                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________