RD270 - Substance Abuse Services Council Annual Report and Plan - 2010


Executive Summary:
In its 2010 Annual Report, the Substance Abuse Services Council makes three recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly:

Dedicated Funding for Prevention

The Commonwealth has lost over $10 million in funding focused on prevention services in schools and communities. The Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA) funds ($5.4 million) were not re-appropriated by Congress, and nearly $5 million in Master Settlement Funds used by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth to prevent tobacco use was reallocated to other purposes. Although the National Survey of Drug Use and Health indicates that nearly 16 percent of Virginia youth (ages 12-17) used alcohol in the last 30 days, no General Funds are currently appropriated by the General Assembly for prevention. Investment in prevention pays off at a ratio approaching $1: $10. The loss of the SDFSCA funds is resulting in loss of school-based programs that provide coordinated services for at-risk students and prevent substance abuse, bullying, violence, and gangs. These funds support community coalition building, training for school resource personnel, the Governor’s Office for Substance Abuse Prevention, and other infrastructure necessary to sustain ongoing coordinated prevention efforts.

The Master Settlement Funds support programs targeted at preventing youth from tobacco use. These funds were reduced from $13 million to $8.2 million. These funds were also used to support enforcement of laws pertaining to underage access to tobacco products.

These reductions seriously undermine Virginia’s capacity to support families, schools and communities in their efforts to raise youth to be healthy adults.

Recommendation:

The Substance Abuse Services Council recommends that the Governor and the General Assembly find the necessary resources to support the goals and activities formerly supported by the federal Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act funds and Master Settlement Agreement funding of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth so that programs in schools and communities formerly supported by these funds can be resumed and the supporting infrastructure at the Department of Education and the Governor’s Office for Substance Abuse Prevention can be retained.

Expand Drug Courts across the Commonwealth

The Drug Treatment Court Act (Code of Virginia § 18.2-254.1) set five goals for drug courts:

1. Reduce drug addiction and drug dependency among offenders;
2. Reduce recidivism;
3. Reduce drug-related court workloads;
4. Increase personal, familial, and social accountability; and
5. Promote effective planning and use of resources among criminal justice system and community agencies.

To date, 30 drug treatment courts have been established in the Commonwealth. Virginia has four types of courts: Adult Drug Treatment Courts (16); Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts (9), Family Drug Treatment Courts (3), and two DUI Treatment Courts. The Supreme Court of Virginia, the administrative authority for drug courts, has evaluated these programs. Its findings indicate that Virginia’s drug courts are more effective and cost-efficient than incarceration, and correspond with findings reflected in national literature on drug courts. It is clear that participants in drug treatment courts are less likely to return to crime and less likely to abuse drugs than nonparticipants, and the cost savings to taxpayers are significant.

Recommendation:

The Substance Abuse Services Council strongly supports the expansion of drug courts and urges the Governor to make expansion of drug courts a priority for his administration.

Support for Prisoner and Juvenile Offender Re-entry Council

Governor McDonnell has re-constituted the Prisoner and Juvenile Offender Re-Entry Council, and its membership now reflects many agencies with special expertise in dealing with prisoners, treating substance abuse, or both. The Re-Entry Council has just begun its work, and its report is due to the Governor by December 31, 2010. The overall goal is to reduce recidivism, a task which will necessarily involve addressing the need for treatment for substance use disorders. A subcommittee focused on behavioral health has been established.

Recommendation:

The Substance Abuse Services Council supports the goals and objectives of the Virginia Prisoner and Juvenile Offender Re-Entry Council. We are hopeful that the Re-Entry Council will place special emphasis on the need for substance abuse treatment prior to release and in the community after release, and recommend that the Governor and General Assembly give priority to the Re-Entry Council’s recommendations.