Governor Christie Proposal to Support Drug Rehab in New Jersey New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is gaining support for his proposal for mandatory treatment for non-violent drug offenders. Drug rehab in New Jersey will be a forced alternative for those convicted of non-violent drug offenses. The state of New Jersey could very well become a testing ground for drug treatment, if Governor Chris Christie gets his wish. In recent months, Gov. Christie has conducted several town hall meetings and has voiced his support for mandatory treatment of non-violent drug offenders.
Due to severe overcrowding of New Jersey state prisons, Christie’s proposal would help save the state from having to build more prisons, and put the onus on drug rehab in New Jersey. “What I propose now is that in every county in New Jersey we have to have drug court and that every non-violent drug offender has to, mandatorily, go to drug treatment,” Christie said at a recent town hall meeting in South Plainfield, NJ. There are a number of drug abuse rehab facilities in New Jersey who are currently contracted with the state to provide drug treatment, however, if Gov. Christie’s proposal continues to gain steam and gains passage, drug rehab in New Jersey will have much more importance than ever before.
Christie said that there were approximately 7,000 non-violent drug offenders currently housed in state prisons, and with this proposal, those inmates could be transferred to drug addiction rehabs, helping to relieve the overcrowding situation in state prisons. Christie first proposed the idea at his annual State of the State address in January. "I propose mandatory treatment for every non-violent offender with a drug abuse problem in New Jersey, not just a select few," Christie said at the time. "It will send a clear message to those who have fallen victim to the disease of drug abuse — we want to help you, not throw you away."
For drug rehab in New Jersey to work effectively, Christie is absolutely spot on with his proposal. Drug treatment as opposed to incarceration is a far better way to deal with the growing drug problem, and drug abuse rehab facilities are far better equipped to properly rehabilitate nonviolent drug offenders than state prisons currently are. The proposal still has a ways to go before gaining approval, however. The state House of Representatives and state Senate will no doubt wrangle over details included in the proposal, but here’s hoping that common sense prevails in state government for once. 12 Palms Recovery Center firmly believes that each addict deserves a chance at recovery, and stands together with drug rehab in New Jersey in its fight. For more information about the drug treatment offered at 12 Palms, please call 1(866) 331-6779, or visit us at www.12PalmsRecoveryCenter.com.