title: Offender diversion into substance use disorder treatment: the economic impact of California's proposition 36.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We determined the costs and savings attributable to the California Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA), which mandated probation or continued parole with substance abuse treatment in lieu of incarceration for adult offenders convicted of nonviolent drug offenses and probation and parole violators.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used individually linked, population-level administrative data to define intervention and control cohorts of offenders meeting SACPA eligibility criteria. Using multivariate difference-in-differences analysis, we estimated the effect of SACPA implementation on the total and domain-specific costs to state and county governments, controlling for fixed individual and county characteristics and changes in crime at the county level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The additional costs of treatment were more than offset by savings in other domains, primarily in the costs of incarceration. We estimated the statewide policy effect as an adjusted savings of $2317 (95% confidence interval = $1905, $2730) per offender over a 30-month postconviction period. SACPA implementation resulted in greater incremental cost savings for Blacks and Hispanics, who had markedly higher rates of conviction and incarceration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The monetary benefits to government exceeded the additional costs of SACPA implementation and provision of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA. doug_anglin@hotmail.com
authors.forename: M Douglas
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Anglin
authors.forename: Bohdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nosyk
authors.forename: Adi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Urada
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003415:Crime / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control; D057237:Criminals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011330:Prisons / Q000191:economics*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult