Californians aren't big fans of cages. They recently demonstrated their zeal to empty pens across the state by approving Proposition 2, a ballot initiative that outlaws restrictive cages for pregnant pigs, veal calves, and egg-laying hens. The joyous ruckus emanating from barns must be deafening. Californians’ history of limiting incarceration extends further back than this, though. In 2000, the electorate passed Proposition 36, an initiative which has implications for human confinement.

Proposition 36, the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act, diverts first- or second-time nonviolent drug offenders from prison to community-based treatment. Purposes of the act include preserving jail and prison space for serious, violent offenders, protecting the public by reducing drug-related crime, and improving public health by treating drug abuse. Under SACPA, judges require offenders to attend licensed drug treatment programs while on probation. If an offender successfully completes the year-long treatment regimen, he or she may petition the court to dismiss all charges.

After years of operation, the results of SACPA are significant. An evaluation by the University of California at Los Angeles indicates the drug treatment program is working. Offenders who completed treatment re-offended at rates 13% lower than people who were referred but did not receive treatment. The Justice Policy Institute released a report showing that California’s prisoner population convicted of drug possession has dropped 27% since Proposition 36 was passed. Another UCLA study says that California saves $2.5 for every dollar spent on the program. That should bring people in California a lot more joy than a little extra wiggle room for livestock.