Policy Brief on: Drug Treatment for Drug Abusing Criminal Offenders: Insights From California's Proposition 36 & Arizona's Proposition 200

California and Arizona both have high profile, frequently studied, laws mandating drug treatment for drug-abusing criminal offenders instead of incarceration. California's law, Proposition 36, was passed in 2000; Arizona's law, Proposition 200, was passed in 1996. The two laws mandate that drug treatment be provided to first-and -second time non-violent offenders. Studies suggest that in the short-run savings from the programs are largely due to avoided incarceration costs. However, this analysis by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program noted that for maximum effect, such laws must have means to encourage offenders to enter and finish treatment, and must have uniform application.