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Substance Abuse Prevention and Control
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The Parolee Services Network (PSN) program, a collaborative between the California Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP), provides community-based
alcohol and drug abuse treatment for eligible parolees in 17 counties statewide. The purpose of the PSN project
is to provide prison parolees with a full array of treatment and recovery services to promote long-term sobriety,
support community reentry, and reduce criminal recidivism.
Funded by the CDCR, the Los Angeles County PSN project was implemented in 1991. SAPC oversees local community
treatment providers that provide PSN services throughout the County.
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SAPC’s Youth System of Services is comprised of fourteen community-based programs (thirteen outpatient and four
residential) that provide substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery services tailored to the specific
needs of youth. Prevention services target children and youth, and their families/caregivers, who are at risk of,
or who have already initiated, experimentation and use of illicit substances. Treatment services serve youth ages
12 through 17, and up through 21 as clinically appropriate, whose alcohol and/or drug use has escalated to substance
abuse or dependence. Recovery services serve those youth who are abstaining from alcohol and drug use, and/or who
are transitioning from treatment, that require additional support to prevent relapse.
While each program determines their own program design and service philosophy, the programs are contracted to provide a
level of care consistent with national best practices. This includes defined core services, specified staff qualifications,
and the ability to serve youth with co-occurring substance use and mental health needs.
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The Dependent Youth Substance Abuse Treatment Protocol is a collaborative project of the Los Angeles County Dependency Court,
the Department of Children and Family Services, and SAPC and its Youth Services Contractors. Judge Michael Nash, Presiding
Judge of the Los Angeles County Juvenile Courts, initiated this project in February 2007 to establish a procedure to identify
dependent youth 12 years of age and older with possible substance abuse issues, and provide a systematic process for referral,
assessment, and treatment services. The goal of the project is to achieve the well-being of dependent youth who have substance
abuse issues and to reduce their chances of coming into contact with the juvenile delinquency system.
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The Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) established funding in California for services proven to reduce crime
among at-risk youth and juvenile probationers. Through this collaborative project with the Probation Department,
SAPC Youth Services Contractors provide substance abuse treatment services for probation involved youth. The goal
of the JJCPA substance abuse treatment component is to 1) provide youth with the skills to resist continued substance
use and the associated negative behaviors; 2) demonstrate reductions in subsequent arrests, incarceration, and probation
violations, and 3) increase completion of probation, and restitution and community service requirements.
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The Co-Occurring Disorders Court (CODC) is a pilot court program created to supervise criminal defendants
diagnosed with both a mental illness and a substance abuse disorder. The project involves an 18-month
program that integrates mental health and substance abuse treatment services. The Los Angeles County CODC
program was implemented in 2007 and is funded by the County of Los Angeles Homeless Prevention Initiative
and Mental Health Services Act. In 2008, SAPC received an enhancement grant for the CODC program from the
federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that provides CODC clients with short-term
residential services at the Antelope Valley Rehabilitation Center in Acton.
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SAPC and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) collaborate on the Providing Safe and Stable
Families—Time Limited Family Reunification (PSSF-TLFR) program. This program, which serves families where one
or more children have been removed from parental custody for fifteen months or less due to suspected child abuse
or neglect, addresses the impact of substance abuse on families in Los Angeles County. The program requires parents
and/or caretakers to enter alcohol and other drug treatment services as a part of their family reunification plan.
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The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) Substance Abuse Prevention and Control (SAPC), the Department of
Public Social Services (DPSS), and the Department of Mental Health (DMH) have collaborated to address the issue of substance
abuse and its impact on families in Los Angeles County. These three departments serve families who receive public assistance
and supportive services through the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Program. This program
focuses on helping welfare recipients move from public assistance to employment or from welfare-to-work (WtW). In Los Angeles
County, WtW services are provided by Greater Avenues to Independence (GAIN). Most able-bodied parents are required to
participate in the GAIN employment services program. Participants meeting WtW requirements may receive treatment for substance
abuse, mental health, and domestic violence. The ultimate goal is to assist CalWORKs participants in becoming self-sufficient.
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The Dependency Drug Court Program is a collaboration between the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors,
Superior Court, DCFS, County Counsel, SAPC, and attorneys for both the parent and children. The program
addresses the needs of substance abusing parents while efforts are being made to foster family reunification.
The program requires a minimum of twelve months of treatment and aims to 1) decrease time to reunification,
2) reduce the number of substantiated allegations of abuse or neglect following reunification,
3) lower the rate of subsequent removal after reunification, and 4) track re-entry rates and the time that
elapses before the termination of parent rights.
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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Superior Court, District Attorney, Public Defender, Sheriff, Probation
Department, and SAPC worked together to develop a probation program for drug-using offenders. While on probation
and subject to the rules of the Probation Department, drug-using offenders participate in intensive judicial
supervision, case management, mandatory substance abuse treatment, drug testing, graduated sanctions, and rewards.
Upon successful completion of the program, offenders’ guilty pleas are vacated and their cases dismissed.
There are 12 Adult Drug Courts located throughout Los Angeles County, each of which is headed by a judge or commissioner,
with an assigned community-based treatment provider that works closely with the entire drug court team. Each drug court
features strong collaboration among the judicial officer, prosecution, defense counsel, law enforcement, probation and
a community-based treatment provider.
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SODC, initiated in August 1998 under the leadership of Judge Michael Tynan is an intensive program for convicted,
non-violent felony offenders who face state prison due to their criminal records and history of drug addiction.
These higher risk offenders have medium to high levels of drug addiction and are offered the SODC program with
formal probation as an alternative to state prison. SODC integrates in-custody and post-release treatment components.
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SAPC and DPSS collaborate to help General Relief (GR) applicants/recipients with substance abuse problems recover
from their chemical dependency. These two departments jointly developed the GR Mandatory Substance Abuse Recovery
Program in Los Angeles County to encourage personal responsibility by providing services to indigent adults who
want to help themselves recover from substance use/abuse and reach self-sufficiency.
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SAPC contracts with programs comprising a network of community-based prevention projects throughout the County. The
programs engage youth and other community residents in conducting activities to strengthen local conditions to prevent
and reduce alcohol and other drug problems by implementing the following evidence-based strategies: alternative
activities, community organizing, environmental/social policy, information dissemination, prevention education/skills
training, and problem identification and referral. These programs are aimed at individuals who currently do not require
treatment for alcohol and drug problems, but may be at risk for such problems based on their present activities.
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Proposition 36, also known as the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA), is an initiative measure passed by California
voters on November 7, 2000, which made significant changes in California’s judicial processes and substance abuse treatment
systems for handling certain non-violent drug offenders. The program was implemented July 1, 2001, and:
- requires probation and drug treatment (instead of incarceration) for probationers and parolees with drug-related
probation or parole violations and for persons convicted of possession, use, transportation for personal use, or being
under the influence of a controlled substance;
- applies to non-violent drug possession/use offenses by individuals with no prior violent felony convictions only; and
- provides up to six months of community-based substance abuse treatment for eligible participants.
In FY 2009-10, funding for Proposition 36 under SACPA was eliminated, but the mandate for the provision of Proposition 36 drug
treatment services continues indefinitely. Instead of funding the Proposition 36 program, the State Legislature approved
$18 million under the Offender Treatment Program and a one-time allocation of $45 million under the Recovery Act Justice
Assistance Grant – Substance Abuse Offender Treatment Program, authorized by the American Recovery Act and Reinvestment
Act of 2009, for a total statewide allocation of $63 million for FY 2009-10.
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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Superior Court, Sheriff, District Attorney, Public Defender, Probation Department,
Countywide Criminal Justice Coordination Committee, UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, and SAPC joined together to
establish the Second Chance Women’s Re-Entry Court Program to provide services for 25 female offenders who are legal residents
of Los Angeles County and are 1) paroled from a CDCR institution under jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Superior Court and facing
a new, non-violent, non-serious felony charge; 2) concurrently on parole and probation; or 3) on felony probation with a high
risk of being sentenced to State prison. Eligible clients are required to complete a treatment plan with incentives and sanctions
that includes stabilization, orientation, assessment, intensive treatment, transition, and enhancement services.
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The Los Angeles Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral, and Treatment (LASBIRT) program is a demonstration project funded
by the federal Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration and the State of California ADP. This project provides
a public health intervention for short-term detainees to assist them in reducing or eliminating their tobacco, alcohol,
and/or other psychoactive substance use and abuse. LASBIRT providers screen diverse, potentially high-risk short-term
detainees for substance use risk factors, warn them of potential harm, and provide brief treatment or a referral for
those needing more intensive treatment services.
The LASBIRT Demonstration Project is a collaborative effort between SAPC-designated treatment agencies, the Sheriff’s Department,
and the Los Angeles Police Department, to increase offender access to community support services, reduce alcohol and/or other
drug prevalence, decrease recidivism, and reduce jail overcrowding.
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