LA County drug treatment programs to receive $10M in federal funding

Feb. 16, 2010 | By KPCC Wire Services | KPCC

Los Angeles County expects to receive about $10.4 million in federal stimulus monies to pay for addiction treatment programs, county officials said today.

The funds, channeled through the state's Emergency Management Agency, will be used to enhance and expand drug counseling, residential detoxification and related programs for probationers and parolees.

More than $3 million more may be available to the county if other California counties opt out of the plan to provide similar services.

Many community based drug programs were originally sponsored through state funding for Proposition 36. The proposition mandates treatment, rather than jail time, for those convicted of nonviolent drug possession crimes. But California eliminated funding for Prop 36 in the 2009-10 budget.

It was unclear if the federal funding would enable more addicts to get help or if it would simply fill a void in state funding.

County officials do expect an increased demand for addiction treatment and other mental health programs as prisoners are released under a parole reform law which took effect in January.

Law enforcement officials, including Sheriff Lee Baca, have estimated that 6,500 of those released will end up in Los Angeles County.

Lawyers with the Office of County Counsel are investigating options for limiting the county's financial exposure as it seeks to provide services to that new population of paroles. Two possibilities mentioned by the Board of Supervisors last week include seeking an injunction to forestall releases and seeking reimbursement for parole reforms as an unfunded mandate.

The county Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 today to accept the funding and meet the federal program requirements.

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